US1845094A - Cup vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb. '16, 1932. L, MORIN 1,845,094

CUP VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 31, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l CUP VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 31, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 JfJTor-m Feb. 16, 1932. H. MORIN CUP VENDING MACHINE Original Filed July 31, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Jiiwrz'farv Feb. 16, 1932. L. H. MORIN CUP VENDING MACHINE Original Filed Jilly 51, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Jzgwrz/or; [auzLr 2. 2707122 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 barren srATEsPArENT OFFICE.

LOUIS H. MORIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE COM- PANY, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORATION OF IVIAINE CUP VENDING MACHINE Original application filed. July 31, 1929, Serial Iio. 382,359. Divided and this application filed May 8,

1930. Serial No. 450,707..

This invention relates to check-controlled or coin-controlled service-supplying devices or automatic sales devices, as used for example in the vending of paper cups,the

present application'being division of my copending application Serial No. 382,309 filed July 31, 1929, for cup vending machines. t is well known to those versed in the art relating to check controlled or coin controlled service-supplying devices or automatic sales devices, including vending machines, that the constructional features, and consequently their cooperating relation and manner of operation, throughout the entire operating mechanism, commonly from a movable operating handle to a final delivery member or other service-supplying member or part, islargely determined by, and must necessarily be different or varied in accordance with, the nature of the service to be provided or the kind of articles to be vended. While the vending machine of the present invention was intent-ed nd is particularly constructed and designed for the vending of paper drinking cups of a certain kind, it is of course to be understood that various features thereof might be'to a greater or less extent changed ormodified while still performing substantially the same final function or result, as well asalso for adapting the machine to render a more or less differen kind of service.

One the objects of the invention is to provide a vending machine which will eifecobjects of he invention are reliability, sim plicity, str

i a reduced front elevation of a 59 vending machine embodying the invention;

tively render the service above noted. Other 2 now being had to the drawings, in

Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the zigzag line 2.2 of Fig. 3, theupper portion of the container tube or magazine being. broken away; I

Fig. 3 is a similar section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a partial horizontal section on the line 4-4. of Fig. 3 as viewed from below;

some of the operating parts omitted taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a partial vertical section as viewed from the rear of the machine and with parts omitted taken substantially on the zigzag line 99 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a partial rear elevation of a rocking operating member which comprises a gear segment, a cam and a ratchet;

Fig. 11 is a transverse section taken onthe inclined line 11'11of Fig. 10 as viewedat rightangles to this line from below.

Like reference characters refer to like parts I in the different figures.

Astack of the nested cups .1, forming a supply. to be vended, is contained in, an upright magazine tube 2, which may be a steel stamping, seamed together. The upper end of this-tube is closed by a cap 3 secured thereon which may be a drawn steel shell. The

container tube 2is shown as of octagonal cross section elongated from front to rear in conformity with the transverse elliptical shape of the stack of nested cups 1 (Fig. 5), which is contained loosely therein for free downward gravitational movement. The cups 1 in this stack are in their upright position with their bottoms down. The lower end of the magazine tube 2 opens freely downward into the top of a multi-part casing which is open at its lower or bottom end,

and the principal parts of which may be zinc die-castings, this main casing being in general substantially rectangular, as appears in Figs. 5 and 6, and being substantially larger transversely than the magazine tube 2.

The casing comprises a substantially trough-shaped back piece 4 and a substantially similarly shaped front piece 5 which join along their edges at the side and are there firmly secured together by means of dowel pins and screws, some of which appear in the drawings. Similarly firmly secured to the front casing part 5 towards its top and forwardly spaced therefrom by means of rearwardly extending lateral flanges is a front plate 6. A centrally open casing top 7 interlocks at the rear with the inner side of the upper end of the casing back 4 (Fig. 3) and has a front Wall which extends forwardly at a downward inclination and then downwardly to the upper edge of the front plate 6 in alignment therewith. The inclined portion of this front wall is provided with a keyoperated lock 8, the bolt 9 of which is engageable with an inclined keeper lug 10 (Fig. 2) formed on a bracket 11 shown as secured to the top and front of the front casing part 5 bv means of a pair of screws 12.

The lower end of the container tube 2 has a snug fit in the octagonal opening in the casing top 7 (Figs. 2, 3 and 5). The lower end of the container tube 2 for the most part rests upon shoulders formed in the opening of the casing top 7 (Fig. 3) but at its sides the tube 2 is provided with downward extensions or tongues the ends of which are turned outwardly and upwardly to form hooks which engage beneath a downwardly extending inncr flange of the casing top 7 Figs. 2 and 3), so that thereby the lower end of the container tube 2 is firmly secured to the casing top 7 within its opening. The casing top 7 together with the magazine tube 2 may be removed from the rest of the casing by unlocking the front lock 8.

The casing is provided with a front door 13 which has rather deep or wide lower and lateral rearwardly extending flanges. The rear edge of the lower flange of this door 13 is hinged at 14 to the lower end of the main casing front 5. At the front the door 13 is in alignment with and extends up to the lower edge of the front plate 6. This door 13 may be locked in closed condition by means of a bolt 15 turned over to form a handle at its upper end and passing downward through lugs on the front plate 6 and at its lower end through a lug on the door 13 at the top thereof (Fig. 2). The handle end of this bolt 15 is readily accessible through the open top of the casing when the lock 8 has been unlocked and the casing top 7' removed. If desired a separate lock may be provided for the front door 13 in addition to or in place of the bolt 15. This separate lock is indicated by the removable plug 16 in the upper edge of the door 13, which may be replaced by a lock similar to the lock 8 and the bolt of which may engage at the back of a keeper lug 17 on the lower edge of the front plate 6 (Fig. 3).

Th enclosed space at the inner side of this front door 13 forms a coin receptacle or money box at the front of the front casing part 5, into the top of which discharged coins may drop from the coin controlled mechanism, as will hereinafter appear. The front of the magazine tube 2 just above the casing top 7 is provided with a glass window 18 held in place on the tube by means of a frame 19 and is held in this frame by a small removable clip 20 at the inner side of the casing top 7, secured in place by a screw (Figs. 3 and 5).

The stack of cups 1 descends by gravity from the magazine tube 2 through the easing top 7 into the upper portion of the main tubular casing body formed by the casing back piece 4 and the casing front piece 5, with the bottoms of the cups 1 formed by their angular bottom edges foremost or downward. It will be noted that the angular bottom edges of the cups and also the longer diameter of their elliptical upper edges or rims extend from front to rear in the stack of these cups in the machine. The stack of cups is supported, as described in the aforesaid parent application Serial No. 382,359. by suitably mounted rollers 30 and 34, and is subject to the lifting action of fingers 29 and 33. on the rock shafts 23 and 32.

Normally the acutely angular straight folded bottom edge or end of the lowermost cup 1 rests lightly upon and in the angle between a pair of similar right and left feed rollers 43 and 44 journaled at the proper position on horizontal parallel axes which are parallel with the axes of the rock shafts 23 and 32.

The feed rollers 43 and 44 are pressed on so as to be firmly fixed upon peripherally flanged i and shouldered cores 45 and 46, respectively. The same zinc die casting may be used for each of these two cores. The feed rollers 43 and 44 are mounted on their respective cores 45 and 46 in relatively reversed position so that thereby one of these rollers has its terminal circumferential tooth or rib adjacent to the flange on the core while the other feed roller has its circumferential terminal end space adjacent to the flange on its core. The feed rollers 43 and 44 are in vertical alignment with the cup-supporting rollers 30 and 34, and as shown in the drawings (Figs. 3 and 7) the feed roller cores 45 and 46 have their peripherally flanged ends turned towards the rear of the machine casing.

The core part 45 of the right hand feed roller 43 is fixed upon the middle portion of a horizontal shaft 47, such as by means of a set screw 48, and the core part 46 of the left hand feed roller. 44 is similarly fixed upon another horizontal shaft 49 at the same level. The right hand feed roller shaft 47 is journaled adjacent to its rear end in the lower part of the right hand frame bracket 21 (Fig. 3) and the forward end of this shaft extends loosely through a large opening in the front wall of the front casing part 5 and has its reduced end journaled in a bearin formed by alug 50 (Figs. 3, 3 and 9) which projects rear wardly from the lower portion of the front plate The left hand feed roller shaft 49 is journaled' adjacentto its front and rear end in horizontal slots 51- m the lower pore tion of the left handframe bracket 22. I At each of these slots, a horizontally slidable bearing pin 52 at the left side of the feed roller shaft49 is guided in the bracket frame 22 and pressed against the feed roller shaft 49 by a coiled thrust spring 53 (Figs. 3 and 7). These springs 53 press the left hand feed roller 44 firmly into cooperating feeding relation with the right hand feed roller 43 The rear ends of the feed roller. shafts 47 and 49 have fixed thereon respectivelysimilar large intermeshing spur gears 53a and 537) by which the two feed rollers 43 and 44are positively connected together for cooperating rotation at the same rate in opposite directions.

A smaller spur gear 54 for operating the feed rollers 43 and 44 is loosely mounted on the right hand feed roller shaft 47 just at the fro-nt of the wall of the front casing part 5 and is provided with a hub sleeve 55 extending inward t irough the opening in this casing wall. This operating gear 54 is connected to the ri thand feed roller 43 through a one-way clutch. A clutch sleeve 56 is l'oose lv mounted on the roller shaft 47 between the feed roller core 45 and the operating gear sleeve 55 and at its rear end is provided with a clutch head 57 adjacent to the front end of the feed roller core At its rear end the gear sleeve 5.5 is provided with a squareshouldered diametral rib which seats in a complementary diametral groove in the forward end of the clutch sleeve 56. as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. so that thereby the operating gear'54 is positively connected to f the clutch sleeve 56 for unitary rotation therewith in either direction. The driving gear 54 and the clutch sleeve 56 maybe zinc dir' castings. while the two feed rollers shafts 47 and 49 may be of brass.

The rear face of the clutch head 57 carries a circumferential series of drive studs 58 shown as four in number. which mav be cast thereon in the same piece therew h. The drive studs 58 nivotally carry gravity pawls 59 which project therefrom in a counter clockwise direction (Fig. 7). The free ends of the clutch nawls 59 engage with the teeth of a continuous circular internally toothed ratchet 60 formed on the feed roller core 45, for transmitting counter-clockwise rotation only from the operating gear 54 to the right hand feed roller 43, whilethe operating gear is free to rotate idly in the opposite direction, with the feed rollers 43 and 44 at rest. In this way steps of feed movement may be imparted to the feed rollers 43 and 44 intermittently alternating with periods of rest, each such step of feed movement being of suflicient extent for effecting the delivery of the lowermost cup 1 from the bottom of the stack, with a slightoverthrow of the feeding movement of the feed rollers in order to assure that. the upper edge or rim of the cup has passed completely below and is free from the feed rollers, so this cup may then drop for delivery. Operating means are provided for operating the feed rollers 43 and 44- and the lifting fingers 29 and 33 in proper timed relationv as to these feed rollers and lifting lingers.

A rocking operating member 61 is pivotally mounted for to and fro movement at the front of the front wall of the front casing part 5 on a horizontal axis parallel with the axes of the rock shafts 23 and 32 and of crating member 61 is operated from the han- I dle shaft 62 through the intermediary of coin controlled mechanism. For operation with out coin controlled mechanism the operated member 61 may be fixed upon the handle shaft 62, for example by means of a set screw in its hub similar to the set screws 43 for the feed rollers. In such case the coin controlled mechanism may be omitted or it may be aresent and not used. I v

The rocking operating member 61 has a al resemblance to a wheel with a peripheral front flange which the left side through about 130 has a considerably wider portion 64"(Figs. 2, l0 and 11). Theright half of this operating member 61 in its normal position (Fig. 2) forms a semi-circular spur segment the teeth of which arein ment with the" operating gear 54 for ed rollers 43 and 44. Throughout its 1 at the rear the Wide flange 64 of the operating member 61 is provided with a cam i in faces radially outward and comprises a inner arcuate circumferential initial portion 66 an intermediate radially inclined portion 66a and an outer circumferentially .arcuate terminal portion 665 (Figs. 2; 3, 10

ment with the cam roller 28, which is carried by the cam lever 24 on the left hand rock shaft 23.

The exact extent of the forward or clockwise rotation of the roelr operating memion of rest thereis not crltical and ber 61 from the norn'ial p of shown in the drai may be, for cxanip through 105 or a little more than that l the relativeproportions of the operatin irts of the mechanism shown. In its clockwise movement the rocking operati ember 61 rotates the feed rollers and 44 ugh the above described one-way clutch for thereby delivering a single cup 1. The feed rollers are desirably rotated to a slightly eater extent than is absolutely required delivering the cup in order thereby to n i sure that the upper edge or rim of :p is entirely free from the gripping action of the feed rollers, so it may drop for delivery. Of course the extent of this idle rotatio verthrow of the feed rollers is immat During the return movement or color r clockwise rotation of the rocking operating nienil'ier 61, the feed rollers 43 and 44 will he at rest, by reason of the disengagement of the one-way clutch.

Normally the cam roller 28 rests upon the inner or depressed arcuate cam surface 66, for thereby holding the combined supporting and lifting fingers 29 and 33 in pos1t1on for supporting the stack of cups 1 on the lift finger rollers 30 and 34. During the first part of the clockwise movement of the operating member 61 and of delivery movement of the two feed rollers 43 and 44 the cam roller 28 rides on the initial cam surface 66 and consequently without movement being imparted to the cam lever 24 and cupsupporting rollers 30 and 34. At an intermediate poiut of the delivery of the cup after its upper edge or rim has passed below and is free from the rollers 30 and 34, but while the upper edge of this downwardly moving cup is still projecting to a substantial extent above the cooperating gripping surfaces of the feed rollers 43 and the cam roller 28 will be engaged by the inclined cam surface 660 which will rock the left hand rock shaft 23 in a counter-cloclnvise direction, thereby raising the lifting fingers 29 and 33, the rollers 30 and 34 being moved slightly inward, to increase their pressure upon the cup, and being moved to a greater extent upward, which will lift the entire stack of cups so that the lowermost cup therein will be raised clear and free from the cup which is being delivered. The extent of the cup-lifting movement of these rollers 30 and 34 may be anything found desirable, and in the construction shown in the drawings, these rollers move through an arc of about of an inch and are raised substantially a quarter of an inch.

After the stack of cups 1 has been thus raised by the inclined cam portion 66a, the outer circularly arcuate terminal portion 66?) then travels in engagement with the cam roller 28 and holds up the stack of cups until the operating member 61 has completed its forward movement and the cup being fed by the feed rollers 43 and 44 has been released thereby and delivered. At an intermediate point of the reverse or return movement of the rocking operating members 61, the intermediate inclined cam portion 66a again engages with the cam follower roller 28, followed by the engagement with this roller of the circularly arcuate inner cam portion 66 thereby permitting the stack of cups 1 to descend by their own Weight, while the feed rollers 43 and 44 are at rest, the stack of cups then being supported upon the rollers 30 and 34 of the lever arms or lifting fingers 29 and 33 with the angular bottom margin of the terminal or lowermost cup 1 then resting lightly upon and between the cup-feeding peripheral surface of the feed rollers 43 and 44 preparatory to the next delivery operation of the machine.

The spring 73 imparts a rather rapid return movement to the operating member 61, together with the reverse or return rotation of the feed roller operating gear 54 along with the released clutch element 5657. and the momentum of these moving parts is absorbed by the cushion element 79 without jar or noise. Forward stop means are provided for the rocking operating member 61 indirectly through the intermediary of the coil controlled mechanism, which is now to be described.

Some of the parts and features of the above described dispensing mechanism have a cooperating relation with some of the parts and features of the coin controlled mechanism, such as is commonly the case in the operating mechanism of a vending machine.

A coin carrier in the space between the front plate 6 of the casing and the operating member 61 is fixed on the middle portion of the handle shaft 62. The coin carrier may be a zinc die casting with the handle shaft, which may be of steel, cast therein as an insert. while the handle knob 63 may be detachably held upon the outer end of the shaft by means of a set screw (not shown). The coin carrier is in general of somewhat irregular segmental shape, located for the most part to the left of and below the handle sh aft 62. At its front side the coin carrier 85 has a tubular stem 86 which extends forward on the handle shaft 62 to the inner side of the hub of the handle knob 63. An outer boss 87 formed on the front of the front plate 6 has a brass bushing 88 fixed therein which forms a bearing for the outer reduced end portion of the coin carrier stem 86.

The front plate 6 has through it a coin slot 89 which is at the left side of, slightly above and substantially radial to the common axis ofthe handle shaft 62 and coin carrier 85. A proper coin 90, which in the machine shown is a penny, may be inserted edgewise through the coin slot 89 into a substantially radial coin-holding slot provided on the coin car rier 85, with the outer radial edge portion of this coin projecting from the coin-holding slot beyond the periphery of the coin carrier 85. This coin-holding slot is provided between and is formed by means of lower and upper lugs 91 and 92 which project from the front of the peripheral portion of the coin carrier 85. The lower lug 91 moves the coin 90 while the upper lug 92 holds the coin in position relatively to the lower lug 91. The top of the coin-moving lug 91 is substantially U-shaped, providing radially inner and outer rounded ridges which engage with the coin 90 at opposite sides of its center. The holding lug 92 engages with the coin about from its center outwardly, with a. radial edge portion of the coin 90 exposed. The radially inner edge of. the coin 90 abuts against and in its movement is guided by the circularly arcuate outer surface of a-coin guide 93 which projects inwardly from the front plate 6 and may be cast thereon.

The front face of the coin carrier between the slot-forming lugs 91 and 92 forms stop for the rear edge of the coin while the forward edge of the coin may move adjacent to and be guided by the inner surface of'the front plate 6. The coin guide 93 extends from 5 below the coin-holding slot and lower side of the coin therein, upwardly and to the right above and to the right of the axis of the coin carrier 85 and terminates abruptly in an overhanging radial end which will permit the coin 90 to drop out of the coin-holding slot when it reaches this end of the coin guide and after the coin has traveled through an arc of about 105. The coin carrier 85 has a slight oven, throw beyond this point where the coin 90 passes beyond the abrupt upper end of. the

coin guide-93 to assure that the coin will be discharged, and the coin carriermay rock through an angle of about 110 forthis pur pose.

A stop'lug 94 for the coin carrier 85,10- cated at the left side of and just below the coin carrier axis, projects from the front plate 6 and may be cast thereon. A lug 95 which projects forward from the lower and right hand end of the coin carrier 85 wlll abut against the lower side'of the stop lug 94 to stop the forward or clockwise movement of the coin carrier, while the lower side of the coin-moving lug 95 will abut against the upper side of this stop lug 9a to stop the return or counter-clockwise movement of the, coin carrier with its coin-holding slot then in alignment with and immediately inward from the coin slot 89 in the front plate 6. The coin carrier 85 is automatically returned to this normal position by means of a coiled torsion spring 96 which surrounds its stem 86, one end of this return spring being secured to the coin carrier by means of a stud 97 while the otherend of the spring is anchored under a rib 98 which projects downwardly from the lower end of the coin guide 93.

The periphery of the coin carrier 85 at its front side is provided with a wide forwardly projecting arcuate flange 99 which, radially outward from the stop lug 94, extends from the coin-moving lug 91 around the lower edge of the 'coin carrier to the coin carrier stop lug 95. The forward edge of this flange 95 is in close proximity to theinner face of the front plate 6, so that while the coin carrier 85 is being operated in its rocking to and fro move ment, the coin slot'89 will be closed or blocked by; this flange 99 against the insertion of a coin, until the coin carrier has been returned to its normal position.

Should the edge of an inserted coin be left projecting into the coin slot 89 in the front plate 6, it is obvious that the coin carrier 85 would be locked by this coin against movement. In order to prevent this, coin-post tioning means are provided to impart final inward movement to the inserted coin and to position the coin properly in the coin carrier between the slot-forming lugs 91 and 92 with the radially inward edge of the coin against the coin guide 93 and with the outer or forward edgeof this'coin' inward from the inner face of the front plate 6 and thus clear of the coin slot 89. 1

F or this purpose a coin-positioning lever 100 (Figs. Sand 9), which isflat with rounded edges, is pivoted on the inner headed end of a stud 101 on the front plate 6 with this lever close to the inner side of this plate. The pivot stud 101 is located some distance below the outer end of the coin slot 89 with the lever 100 projecting upward across the radially outward end portion onlyof the coin slot 89. This lever 100 below its pivot stud 101 has a tail arm 192 shown as beveled at its end which abutsagainst a lug 103 on the front plate 6to limit the extent to which the lever 100 may pass over or cover the coin slot 89. Atwoearmed wire spring 10 1 having a coil on the inner. headed end of the pivot stud 101, has the end of one of its arms connectedto the lever 100 by a small pin 105 while the end of its other arm,"above the pivot'stud 101, abuts against a lug 106 on the front plate 6. I

This spring 104 normally yieldingly holds the lever 100 with'its tail arm 102 abutting against the lug 103 and with itsrounded edge portion adjacent to its upper end passing across theradially outer end portionof the coin slot 89 in the front plate 6 (Fig.9). hen a proper coin is pushed inward through the coin slot 89, its rounded edge will push the lever 100 aside, but during the latter part of the inward movement of this coin, the spring-pressed lever 100 will have an increasing tendency to move the coin inward and will finally move this coin inward clear of the coin slot 89 with its forward edge at the inner side of the front plate (3. It may be noted that a coin-positioning lever operating in substantially the same manner is claimed in my Patent No. 1,657,830 of J anuary 31, 1928.

With the rocking operating member 01 at its normal position (Fig. 2) and when the coin carrier 85 carries no coin, the coin carrier may be freely and idly rocked to and fro between its limits of movement or between any intermediate points. \Vhen the coin carrier 85 carries a coin 90, this coin itself forms a coupling member which directly engages with a cooperating coupling member on the operating member 61 for moving the latter away from its normal position until the coin has been discharged at the termination of the clockwise part of the to and fro operating movement of the operating member 61. For thus cooperating with the coin 90, to be moved thereby, a stud 107 projects to the front from the wide flange 64 of the operating member 61 and may desirably be a steel insert cast into a thickened portion of the flange 64. This projecting stud is shown as square with two of its opposite corners in radial alignment with the common axis of the operating member 61 and coin carrier 85, so that thereby its flat faces or sides are radially inclined 45.

This stud 107 is located on the operating member 61 at a position so that with this operating member and the coin carrier 85 both at their normal positions (Fig. 2), the outer edge of the inserted coin 90, which projects radially beyond the periphery of the coin carrier, will be in close proximity to and just below and inward from the lower radially inner inclined face of this stud 107,

v for moving the latter immediately upon movement of the coin carrier 85. This inclined face of the stud 107 will press the opposite edge of the coin 90 against the coin guide 93, so that thereby this inclined face of the stud, acting as a cam, will dislodge the coin from the coin-holding slot in the coin carrier when the coin has been moved beyond the upper end of the coin guide 93. When the coin is discharged by the coin carrier, it will be received upon and will slide down an inclined chute 108, from the lower end of which it will drop into the coin box at the inner side of the front door 13. This coin chute 108 may be cast upon the front plate 6 and at its upper edge is notched around the adjacent peripheral parts of the operating member 61 and coin carrier 85 (Figs. 2, 8 and 9).

An undersized slug, the diameter of which is less than the distance between the radially inner corner of the operating stud 107 and the guiding surface of the coin guide 93, will not operate the delivery mechanism of the machine. If such a slug should engage with the stud 107 it will be pushed aside by the inclined cam face of this stud and will be discarded by the coin carrier 85 when the slug passes beyond the upper end of the coin guide 93. In order to make it more certain that such a small sized slug will be discarded with a single movement of the coin carrier, means are provided to prevent return movement of the coin carrier from a partially advanced position when it carries such aslug.

For this purpose an arcuate ratchet member 109 is mounted in a deep slot in the outer or guiding surface of the coin guide 93, substantially flush therewith, and is pivoted intermediate of its length on a pivot pin 110 which forms a rivet passing through the coin guide 93 and the front plate 6 (Figs. 2, 8 and 9). This ratchet member 109 has ratchet teeth, shown as three in number, projecting above the upper portion of the coin guide 93 and inclined towards its adjacent upper end. This toothed end of the ratchet'member 109 is urged upwardly by means of a small coiled compression spring 111 which is seated in a recess in the bottom of the slot in the coin guide 93 below this end of the ratchet member 109, the depending tail arm of this ratchet pawl 109 serving as a stop against the bottom of the slot in the coin guide 93.

As soon as an undersized slug has passed over and been engaged by the first ratchet tooth it encounters, then reverse or return movement of the coin carrier is thereby prevented and it is necessary that the coin carrier must be fully advanced for discarding this slug before the coin carrier can be returned to its normal position preparatory to the insertion of a proper coin in its coin-holding slot, which has been freed from the slug which would block the insertion of a coin.

The upper end of the coin carrier 85 is provided with a peripheral and, as a whole, substantially radial tapering projection or lug 112 having a lower radially inclined face which is normally in engagement with or abuts against the upper and radially inner inclined face of the operating stud 107 (Fig. 2). It will be noted that this, projection 112, in engagement with the upper side of the stud 107, and the coin 90 in engagement with the lower side of this stud, will lock or couple the operating member 61 and the coin carrier 85 together against movement relatively to each other in either direction. Also the coin 90 is locked by the stud 107 in the coin-holding slot of the coin carrier against possibility of escape therefrom until it has been discharged at the upper end of the coin guide 93.

This projection 112 on the coin carrier 85 by its engagement with the operating stud 1071Vrevents return movement of the coin carrier 85 independently of the operating member 61 when the latter has been moved away from its normalposition, and this assures that the coin 90 will be kept locked in the coin-holding slot, of the coin carrier. The operating member 61 of course can only be moved forward by means of a coin carried by the coin carrier 85 and when this operating member has been moved forward or clockwise only a short distance, it will be locked against return movement by the locking pawl 67, as hereinbefore set forth. Return movement of the coin carrier 85 from a partially a vanced position is not then permitted, since that would move the coin away from the operating stud 107, so that to and fro movement of the coin carrier under such conditions would be likely to throw the coin out of or dislodge it from the coin-holding slot of the coin carrier and the coin would then be lost in the machine.

Some further note may be taken of the manner'of operation of the mechanism as so far described.v It will be noted that the peripherally projecting coin carrier lug 112, in cooperation with the operating stud 197 directly, together with the cooperating coin carrier stop lugs 94- and 95 indirectly, forms a stop for limiting the forward or clockwise movement'of the operating member 61. This prevents overthrow of the operating member 61, such as might cause the cam roller 28 to run 05 the trailing end of the terminal cam surface 666, as" well as otherwise disarrange the operating mechanism.

I will be also noted that this operating stud 107, againsowhich the coin carrier pro jection 112 abuts, may serve as a return stop for the coin carrier 85, throu h the intermediary of the return stops 78 and 79 for the operating member 61. However, it is desirable to provide aseparate return stop for the coin carrier 85, as hereinbefore de scribed, in order to assure that the coinslot of the coin carrier will be brought correctly into alignment with the coin slot 89 in the front plate 6. It will be further noted that the coin carrier return spring96, acting through the intermediary holding of the peripheral coin carrier lug 112 and the operating stud 107, would also be efiective alone to return the operating member 61 to its normal position. p

An advantage of the separate return spring 73 for the operating member 61 is that it permits a lighter spring to be employed for returning the coin carrier 85, in view of the fact that the coin carrier is separately op-.

erated many timesidly, as well as also for I discarding slugs, which may befnot only small slugs as above noted but also frail slugs such as of paper or of thin metal, which will be bent and discarded without '1 operating the member 61. Another advantage of the separate spring 73 is that it cooperates with the inclined coin-engaging cam face of the operating stud. 10? in dislodging the coin from the coin-holding slot in the coin carrier 85 when the coin has passed the up ing-stud 107, and at its other end to pass above or clear the ratchet teeth of the slug ratchet 109. Or on the other hand, if desired, the coin carrier 85, together with the other parts of the coin controlled mechanism per so, may be omitted, the operating member 61 then being fixed upon the handle shaft 62 and provided with a separate forward stop, which it is obvious may be readily done in several very simple ways, for example, by attaching a lug to the front face of the casing wall 5 to be in the path of the shoulder shown on the operating member 61 at the leading end of its cam surface 66 and ratchet 7 2.

hen the stack of cups 1 in the magazine tube 2 requires replenishing the coin carrier is automatically locked at a forward position in which its front flange 99 closes the coin slot 89 in the front plate 6 against the insertion of a coin, thereby to prevent the loss of coins in the machine. For accomplishing this, an upstanding feeler lever 113 is pivoted by means of a pin 114 between a pair of lugs on the back of the front top bracket 11 (Fig. 2 and The feeler lever 113 at it upper free end, has an inwardly tapering rounded feeler projection 115 to engage with the stack of nested cups 1, while not interfering with their free downward movement, nor with the lifting of the stack of cups in the operation of the machine, nor with the insertion of a fresh stack of cups into the magazine tube 2.

The feeler lever 113 has a downwardly extending locking arm 116 forming a locking pawl which at its lower end is provided with a forwardly projecting locking end 117, the upper end of the wall of the front casing part 5 being provided with vertical slot as shown in Figs; 2 and 3 for the accommodation of gravity in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3. Thus the feeler end 115 of the feeler lever 113 will be pressed lightly by gravity against the upper edge portion of the telescoped cups 1 in the stack in the position of this lever which appears in Fig. 3, in which, however, the stack of cups has been omitted for clarity of illustration, excepting the lowermost cup which is shown in broken lines. In this position of the feeler lever 113 its locking end 117 will be in withdrawn position at the rear of the upper margin of the path of movement of the operating member 61, so that the latter may be rocked freely back and forth clear of this locking end.

On its back the wide flange 64 of the operating member (31 is provided with a locking lug 118, which forms the above noted thickened portion in which the inner end of the operating stud 107 is fixed (Figs. 2, 10 and 11). The advancing or forward end of this lug 118, as the operating member 61 moves in the clockwise direction, forms an inclined cam face 119 while the other or trailing end of this lug forms an abrupt shoulder 120. Vv hen the upper edge or rim of the uppermost or last cup 1 in the stack descends below the lower surface of the feeler end 115 of the feeler lever 113, this lever will be rocked by gravity to move its locking end 117 into the path of movement of this locking lug 118. The inclined cam face 119 of this lug will ride past this locking lever end 117, but soon after the operating member 61 begins its return movement the shoulder 120 will abut against the locking end 117, thereby stopping the return movement of the operating member 61, which. will take place at an advanced position of about 90 from the normal position thereof shown in Fig. 2.

\Vhen the operating member 61 is thus locked against further return movement, the coin carrier 85 will also be locked against further return movement by its peripherally projecting lug 112 abutting against the operating stub 107 on this operating member 61. In this locked position of the coin carrier 85, its front flange 99 will extend across or close the coin slot- 89 in the front plate 6, thereby preventing the insertion of a coin through this slot. Should it be desired to arrange or adapt the machine shown to operate as a dispensing device without using a coin, as hereinbefore noted, the feeler lever 113 may be retained in toto, or this feeler lever may be omitted, that being substantially immaterial.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described, within the principle and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a vending machine, the combination of an outer casing wall provided with a coin slot for the edgewise insertion of a proper coin, a rocking coin carrier immediately inward from the said wall pivoted on an axis at right angles thereto and provided with a transverse coin-holding slot which is normally in alignment with said coin slot immediately inward therefrom for moving the coin flatwise adjacent to said wall and so that when the coin carrier is operated the portion thereof adjacent to its coin-holding slot closes said coin slot in the casing against the insertion of a coin, a rocking operating member coaxial with and immediately inward from the coin carrier to be coupled thereto to be operated thereby by means of a coin carried by the coin carrier, an abutment on the operating member engageable with the coin carrier to prevent independent return movement of the coin carrier when the operating member is moved by the coin, a magazine for a supply of articles to be vended, vending mechanism to be operated by the said operating member, a normally disengaged lock to be engaged with the said operating member at its coin-operated position, and operating means for the lock controlled by the supply of articles to lock the operating member at its coin-operated position for thereby locking the coin carrier at slot-closing position when the magazine needs replenishing.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which the means for operating the said lock includes a feeler urged against successive articles transversely to their direction of movement and the lock being controlled by the feeler to be moved to its locking position to prevent the insertion of a coin when there is no article in position to restrain the feeler.

3. In a coin controlled mechanism, the combination of a coin carrier pivoted for rocking to and fro movement, a normally idle operating member the movements of which are to be utilized pivoted for rocking to and fro movement coaxially with the coin carrier, means on the coin carrier for moving a coin and on the operating member to be engaged by the coin by which the coin carrier operates the operating member away from its normal posit-ion and then discharges the coin, interengaging means between the operating member and the coin carrier by which the coin carrier is prevented from returning to its normal position independently of theoperating member, and a double acting reversible pawl-and-ratchet device for the operating member which prevents return movement of the operating member to its normal position until its movement away from its normal position has been substantially completed and thereby also prevents return movement of the coin carrier by reason of the said interengagmg means.

4. In a coin controlled mechanism, the combination of a coin carrier pivoted for rocking to and fro movement, an operating member the movements of which are to be utilized pivoted for rocking to and fro movement coaxially with the coin carrier, the coin carrier being freer; movable away from its normal position independently of the operating member, lug on the operating member to be engaged by a coin carried by the coin carrier for moving the operating member away from its normal position by means of the coin carrier, a projection on the coin carrier to engage with the said lug to prevent return movement of the coin carri r independently of the operating member when the latter has been moved away from its normal position, a double acting reversible pawl-and-ratchet device cooperating with the operating memher to prevent return movement of the latter until after it has completed the extent of its coin-operated movement thereby also at the same time preventing return movement of the coin carrier, a stop for limiting the extent of movement of the coin carrier away from its normal position which thereby also limits the same movement of the operating member, means for discharging the'coin from the coin carrier at the limit of its advancing movement, a return stop for the operating member which thereby also prevents further'return movement of the coin carrier, a return spring for the coin carrier by which the operating member is also returned, and an operating handle connected to the coin carrier for advancing the latter against the tension of its spring.

5. The invention defined in claim 4-, I in combination with a cushion shock absorbing member forming one element of the said return stop for the said opera-ting member, a separate return stop for the coin carrier, and a separate return spring for the operating member so that thereby the latter may be returned to its normal position independently of the return movement of the coin carrier.

6. In a coin controlled mechanism, the combination of a coin carrier pivoted for rocking to and fro movement, a casing wall just at the front of the coin carrier provided with a coin slot at one side laterally of the, axis of ;he coin carrier, a pair of lugs on the coincarr er between them a coin-holding slot which in the normal returned position of the coin carrier is in alignment with the said coil slot in the casing wall, an arcuate coin gr e on the casing wall for the radially inner edge of the, coin extending from the coin slot in the casing wall on a convex curve upwardly and laterally to a point above the 7 axis of the coin carrier and there terminating abruptly to permit the coin to drop out of the coin -holdi slot in the coin carrier when it has passed this upper end'of the coin guide, an operating member pivoted for rocking to and fro movement immediately inward from the-coin carrier and coaxial therewith, and a forwardly projecting stud on the operating member having a radiallyinclined face to be engaged by the radially outer edge of the coin above the up C and inclined touardsits upper end so as to permit theadvanc'e of either a proper coin or a slug carried by the coin carrier and preventing return movement of the coin carrier when it carries'an undersized slug the diameter of which is too small to engage with the said stud of the operating member so that thereby the coin carrier must be fully advanced for discarding such slug before it can be returned to its normal position preparatory to the insertion of a proper coin in its coihholding slot.

8. The invention defined in claim 6, in combination with engaging means bet-ween the said operating member and the coin carrier to prevent return movement of the coin carrier relatively to the operating member so that thereby the coin will be locked in position in the coin-holding slot of the coin carrier said operating member and the coin carrier to prevent return movement of the coin carrier relatively to the operating member so that thereby the coin will be locked in posi tion in the coin-holding slot of the coin carrier by the said inclined face of the stud on the operating member, and a pawl-and-ratch et device for the operating member to prevent return'movement of the latter until after it has completed its coin-operated movement. I 10. In a coin controlled mechanism, the combination of a coin carrier pivoted for rocking to and fro movement, an operating member the movements of which are to be utilized pivotedfor rocking to and fro movement coaxially with the coin carrier, the coin carrier being freely movable away from its normal position independently of the operating member, means by which the said operating member may be coupled to the coin carrier the pressure of 'the coin stop for the operating member which by reason of the said stop on the coin carrier may be also utilized to prevent further return movement of the coin carrier, a return spring for the coin carrier by which the operating member may also be returned, and an operating handle connected to the coin carrier for advancing the latter against the tension of its spring.

11. The invention defined in claim 10, in combination with a separate return stop for the coin carrier in addition to the said stop provided on the coin carrier, and a se arate return spring for the operating mem er in addition to the said coin carrier spring.

LOUIS H. MORIN.

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