US1956066A - Coin selecting device - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1934. .J. GOTTFRIED 1,956,066

COIN SELECTING DEVICE Original Filed April 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEYS April' 2 4, 19.34. J. GOTTFRIED COIN SELECTING DEVICE Original Filed April 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joy/v G/OTTFRHE'D ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 24, 1934 1,956,066 com SELECTING DEVICE John Gottfried,

B. & G. Coin Selectors,

port, Conn.

Application April 30, 1930, Serial New Haven, Conn., assignor to Incorporated, Bridge- Renewed September 20, 1933 7 Claims. (01. 194-97) The present invention relates to fraud pre-' venting apparatus for use on coin controlled machines and has for an object to provide improved apparatus for separating genuine coins from counterfeit coins and slugs. Genuine coins are uniformly made of certain metals and the slugs used for fraudulently operating coin controlled machines are made invariably of other materials than the genuine coins. It is therefore possible by the use of selective devices which affect differently coins made of difierent metals to separate certain selected genuine coins from various, other coins, counterfeit coins or slugs made of other materials.

The present invention has been developed more particularly in connection with the production of a coinseparating device for use on a coin controlled mechanism designed to be operated by a silver twenty-five cent piece and for the purposes of illustrating the principles of the inven-' tion such an embodiment of the invention will be more particularly described.- It will be understood. however, that certain features of the inven-- tion are equally applicable to devices for separating other coins.

Referring to the drawings in which is illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention- Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a device embodying the principles to of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same,

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken centrally through the lower coin chute,'and

Fig. 4 is. a sectional view taken on IV-IV of Fig. 3.

In the structure shown for the purposes of illustration a coin inserted in the apparatus is caused to roll by gravity along a passage leading to a coin controlled machine, suitable provision being made for diverting coins of smaller denomination or slugs which may be inserted in an attempt fraudulently to operate the machine. A proper coin inserted' in the apparatus through a coin slot 5 drops vertically to the floor of an inclined chute 6 and rolls therealong with substantial velocity to a vertical chute 7 whence it drops to a second inclined chute 8., wherein it rolls-in the opposite direction and passes to a vertical chute 9 by which it is delivered to'the machine to be operated.

Provision is made for deflecting from the upper chute slugs formed of iron and of certain other materials. As shown, this upper'chute is formed with a gap 10 toward its lower end at a point at which a coin rolling in the chute has attained a the line or slug is substantial velocity. A silver twenty-five cent piece rolling along the chute 6 will attain a sulficienil velocity and will have suflicient momentum to pass over the gap 10 and continue to the chute 7. Provision is made, however, for causing an iron slug and certain other counterfeit devices to fall through the gap 10 to the chute 12 to be returned at the front of the device. The means shown for diverting an iron slug consists of a magnet 15 which will draw an iron or steel slug with suflicientforce to divert it from the normal path down into the chute 12. A spring 16, which for example may be of phosphor bronze, is secured to one side wall of the chute 6 and arranged to press lightly against the opposite wall. This 7 spring is spaced above the bottom of the coin chute a distance approximately equal to one half the diameter of the coin with which the device is designed to be used wherefore it engages the side face of the coin or slug passing through the device substantially centrally and the engagement continues during a substantial period of time, that is to say during the time that the coin moving a distance equal to its diameter.

A rolling coin is engaged by this spring and pressed lightly against the opposite wall but the adjustment of the spring is such that a silver twenty-five cent piece will nevertheless pass over into the chute '7. A light weight pendulum 1'7 is suspended in the chute above the gap 10. The weight of this pendulum is such that it will be displaced by a silver twenty-five cent piece to permit passage to the chute 7, but certain lighter coins or slugs will be stopped by it and diverted through the gap 10 to the chute 12.

The lower inclined chute 8 is provided with an arrangement for separating silver coins from copper slugs and various other slugs'which may pass through to this part of the device. As shown, the bottom of the chute is cut away beyond the point 20, so that the coin passing this point is projected in a free trajectory.

In order to provide a strong magnetic field through which a coin rolling in the chute must pass, a permanent magnet 21 is arranged with pole pieces 22 on either side of the chute 8, and if desired these pole pieces may be inserted in holes formed in the walls of the chute, as best shown in section in Fig. 4. The pole pieces and the chute walls preferably being brazed together to insure permanently smoothness of the chute walls at this point. Various coins and slugs will be retarded as they pass through this magnetic field, the extent of the retardation depending upon the material of the coin or slug. The conductivity of copper and silver are such .that the copper is retarded only slightly more than silver. In order, therefore,

to provide means for diverting the copper While permitting the silver to pass from the normal plane of movement of the coin in the plane of the chute 8 to chute 9 there is provided a curved deflector slideway 24 which is so positioned that it will permit a silver coin passing in a certain trajectory to fall into the chute 9, whereas a coin falling in a slightly shorter trajectory, such as that which a copper coin will take, will be deflected laterally into the chute 25, whence it will be returned through the aperture 26 at the front of the device. A similar deflector 27 is positioned beyond the path of the silver coins to divert laterally coins which have a longer trajectory. By this arrangement it is possible to select within very narrow limits coins having a certain specific trajectory and, therefore, to make a sensitive se lection between silver coins and slugs of various materials. This selection within narrow limits is facilitated by the arrangement whereby the deflector slides engage the side faces of the coins to move them laterally from the normal plane of movement in the free trajectory which arrangement makes possible the placing of the two deflector slides 24, 27 far enough apart and far enough to the right and left (Fig. l) of the normal path of movement of a genuine coin to be entirely clear of such path of movement.

It is desirable to make provision for preventing a spurious coin from being given an initial velocity when it is inserted in the coin slot 5, which will carry it past the gap 10. To this end a stop member 30 is so positioned in the chute 6 that it will be struck by and will stop momentarily a coin passing through the slot 5 with a high initial velocity but will permit all coins to pass beneath it after falling vertically to the bottom of the chute.

Coins dropping through the vertical chute '7 may bounce when striking the bottom of the chute 8 and, therefore, roll with more or less velocity in the chute 8. To prevent such irregularity a stop member 31 is secured in the guide to cause the rolling of the coin'in the lower chute to begin always at the same point.

The several parts of the device andespecially the coin chutes are preferably made of non-magnetic material on account of the presence of the permanent magnet.

The foregoing particular description is illustrative merely and is not intended as defining the limits of the invention.

I claim:-

1. A coin separating device comprising, in combination, a coin chute along which coins roll to attain a pre-determined velocity, said chute being formed with a gap in its bottom across which certain coins will pass, and a friction spring posi tioned in the coin chute and spaced above the bottom of the coin chute a distance equal to approximately one half of the diameter of the coin with which the device is designed to be used to engage the sideface of the coin substantially centrally to press the coins against one side of the chute adjacent said gap to retard the coins a greater or less amount depending upon the character of the coins, whereby coins of certain character will be caused to drop through the gap.

2. In a coin separating device the combination with means for causing coins to travel in a free trajectory in a pre-determined normal plane and coins to an extent depending upon the conduc-' tivity of the material of the coins, of a laterally deflecting slideway positioned diagonally transversely of the normal plane of movement of the coins at a point entirely clear of the normal path of movement of the genuine coin with which the device is designed to be used but in position to engage certain coins having a different path of movement to deflect said \coins laterally from the said normal plane of movement of the coins.

3. In a coin separating device the combination with means for causing coins to travel in a free trajectory and a magnet for causing a magnetic field in the path of movement to retardthe movement of coins to an extent depending upon the conductivity of the material of the coins, of deflectors extending diagonally transversely of the path of movement of the coin at points to engage the side faces of and deflect laterally coins which pass beyond or fall short of a pre-determined limited path of movement.

4. In a coin separating device the combination with a coin chute arranged toproject coinsin a free trajectory and a magnet for causing a magnetic field to change the pathof movement of the coins to an extent depending upon the electrical conductivity of the coins, whereby copper and silver coins will travel in different paths of a deflector slide way-positioned diagonally transversely of the path of movement of the coins at a position to engage and deflect laterally coins of one material while permitting the passage of coins of the other material.

5. In a coin separating device the combination with means for causing coins to travel in a free trajectory in a given plane and a magnet for causing a magnetic field in the path of movement of the coins to retard the movement of the coins in said plane to an extent depending upon the conductivity of the material of the coins of deflectors positioned entirely clear of the path of movement of coins retarded to a certain predetermined extent but extending diagonally of the paths of movement of coins retarded to a greater or less extent to engage the sides of and deflect laterally from the plane of the free trajectory such coins.

6. In a coin separating device the combination with means for causing coins to travel in a free trajectory in a given plane and a magnet for causing a magnetic field in the path of movement of the coins to retard the movement of coins in said plane to an extent depending upon the conductivity of the material of the coins of a curved deflector extending diagonally across the said given plane positioned to engage the side faces of and divert laterally coins having a certain path of movement but positioned entirely clear of the path of movement of certain other coins.

'7. A coin separating device comprising, in combination, a coin chute along which coins roll to attain a predetermined velocity, said chute being formed with a gap, a friction spring positioned to engage and delay each coin to an extent depending on the character of the coin, said spring pressing the coin in a direction at a right angle to the direction of movement of the coin through the gap.

JOHN GO'I'IFRIED.

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