US2045976A - Coin selector and rejector - Google Patents

Description

June 30, 1936. c, B B K COIN SELECTOR AND REJECTOR Filed April 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l ENVENTOR June 30, 1936. Q BROOKS 2,045,976

COIN SELECTOR AND REJECTOR Filed April 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 of the type designed to Patented June 30, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,045,976 I COIN SELECTOR AND REJECTOR Charles B. Brooks, Masontown, Pa. Application April 16, 1935, Serial No. 16,551

6 Claims.

This invention relates to coin operated devices such as telephones, vending machines, etc., and more particularly to a device for use with such machines that will accept coins, such as nickels, dimes, and quarters, provided they are within a predetermined percentage of the standard weights for such coins, and which will reject legal coins, under the minimum preselected acceptable weights, as well as slugs.

An object of this invention is the provision of a coin selector and rejector of the type referred to above that shall be simple in construction, sensitive and reliable in operation, and which may be adjusted to receive legal coin of the standard or legal weight or within a predetermined percentage of standard or legal weight and which will reject all coins that are lighter than the predetermined minimum. It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of the character referred to above that will reject all slugs except those which are made the size of legal coin and of an alloy whose weight is substantially precisely equal to the weight of the legal coins within the limits of acceptable under-weight coins, but which if adjusted to receive only" standard legal weight coin would reject all slugs which are not made of the precise alloy as legal coin and of the same size as legal coin.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character referred to above that shall be adapted for use with existing coin operated devices. Other objects of the invention will in part be apparent and will in-part be obvious from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of a coin selector and rejector device in side elevation embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig.3 is an enlarged view of the discharge end of a coin receiver or carrier and its coin release mechanism embodied in the device of Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

Throughout the drawings and the specification like reference characters indicate like parts.

In the drawings, and with particular reference to Figs. l and 2, a device i is shown which is ar ranged for use with a pay telephone (not shown) receive coin of three denominations, i. e., nickels, dimes and quarters. Device i is provided, therefore, with three units 2, 3 and 4 each embodying the invention. For convenienceof description it may be assumed that unit 2 is associated with the dime receiving channel of the telephone, unit 3 with the nickel receiving channel thereof, and unit 4 with the 5 quarter receiving channel thereof. While device I is shown as adaptable to a coin operated device which will receive coins of more than one denomination, it will be understood that it may be used with devices receiving coins of only one de- 10 nomination as well as a greater number of denominations.

A general statement of operation, it is believed, will aid the understanding of the invention. It a party wishes to make a telephone call requir- 15 ing the deposit of a nickel, a nickel is dropped in a chute 5" of device 3, and if it is of standard legal weight will be deposited in a receptacle 6 from which the nickel will pass through the proper channel in the telephone and which would, 20 therefore, either give the party a connection with the central oflice or a connection through which the desired call could be completed by the depositor. Unit 3 may be adjusted to accept only coins of the exact legal weight, or to accept coins of lighter weight, for example, coins which are lighter by two, three or four grains. Of course, the wider the range of acceptable weight, the easier it becomes for the unscrupulous to devise slugs which would have the size of a nickel and a weight that would fall within the acceptable weight range.

If the slug or coin deposited is lighter than the acceptable minimum weight, it will be delivered to a reject receptacle 1 from which the same is 35 returned through a chute 8 to the depositor. Should the slug or token be heavier than the weight of a standard nickel, such slug or token would be deposited in a reject receptacle 9 from which it is returned via chute 8 to the depositor. Units 2 and 4 operate on the same principle as unit 3, rejecting coins or slugs which are lighter than the minimum acceptable weight and depositing them in receptacle 1 or in separate re- 45 ceptacles if desired, and rejecting coin or slug which are heavier than the legal standard and depositing them in reject receptacle 9.

Since units 2, 3 and 8 are shown as being identical in construction, the parts of the various units 5 differing merely in size, since each accommodates coin of a size and weight which are difierent from the others, the following description will be confined to unit I only, although corresponding or similar parts of units 2 and 3 will be designated by the same reference characters but with single or double primes aihxed thereto.

. Unit 4 comprises a chute 3 into which quarters are deposited and a weighing mechanism It all of which is supported by a standard ll of any suitable form. Chute I is preferably shaped to receive the coin edgewise and slopes downwardly at a pitch suiilciently steep to ensure that the coin will move rapidly and freely to the weighing mechanism. The weighing mechanism l9 comprises an arm l2 which is mounted on a shaft l3 the opposite ends of which are journalled in anti-friction bearings ll, preferably jeweled bearings, carried by support arms ll secured to standard II. To one end of arm I2 is secured a coin receiver of carrier l3 having'a keeper ll which operates to retainthecoinorsluginthecarrieruntilthe weight thereof has been ascertained, after which it is actuated by means, to be described later herein, to release the coin or slug as the case may be, into its proper receptacle, either receptacle 9, I or 9 depending on its weight and/or size. The other end of arm l2 carries a counterweight I9 which may be adjustable lengthwise of the arm to secure the proper balance between the coin receiver or carrier l9 and the counterweight. It is preferred that the counterweight shall have such mass and be so located from shaft l3, that, when the carrier I9 is empty, arm l2 will swing to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 and hold the carrier lightly but firmly against the lower end of chute 5. For convenience in adjusting counterweight l9, arm l2 and the weight may be screwthreaded so that the weight may be screwed towards or away from shaft I3 and thereby obtain the desired counterweighting effect.

In order that legal coins of the proper or acceptable weight may be deposited in the acceptance receptacle 9, or deposited in the reject receptacle I if under the minimum acceptable,

weight, and that slugs whether of underweight and/or size or of overweight and/or size may be deposited in either reject receptacle I or 9, a weight detector 29 is provided. Weight 29 is secured to an arm 2| attached to arm l2 at such a point with respect to shaft l3 that when arm i2 is in the full line position of Fig. 1, the moment arm of weight 29 about the axis of shaft I3 is zero. This weight should be of such mass and located at such a distance from the axis of shaft l3 that when a legal coin of acceptable weight is incarrier It, the moment of its mass about the axis of shaft II will be suflicient to arrest the down-swing of arm I2 when carrier I9 is in a position to deposit'the coin (a quarter in this case) in receptacle 6; or if the coin or slug is below the acceptable weight, then to arrest the down-swing of the arm l2 at the point where such coin or slug will be deposited by carrier IS in reject receptacle 1; or if the slug is heavier than the standard weight of a legal quarter, then to arrest the down-swing of arm l2 when the carrier is in position to depositsuch slug in reject receptacle 9.

The effect and purpose of detector weight 20 may be accomplished by so positioning arm 2| that it hangs vertically and directly under shaft l3 when arm I2 is in the full line position shown in Fig. 1. When in this position it will be apparent that the moment arm about the axis of shaft I3 is zero. The retarding effect of detector weight 29 becomes increasingly greater as arm l2 swings downwardly through an increasingly greater angle, and reaches a maximum when it has swung through an angle of in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. 1 in which position weight 20 and arm 2i would be in a horizontal plane. The retarding efl'ect of weight 23 varies with the sine. of the angle through which 5 it sweeps from its zero moment position. When weight 29 has swept through an angle of 90' in a counterclockwise direction the moment arm is a maximum since the sine of 90' is equal to unity. Therefore, it is apparent that by selecting a 10 weight of the proper mass and positioning that weight on arm 2| at such a distance from the axis of shaft l3 that the product of the weight and its moment arm will balance the moment arm of the coin and its carrier about the axis of 15 shaft l3 when the carrier is in position to deposit a legal coin of the acceptable weight in receptacle 3, that the down-swing of arm l2 may be arrested at the proper place to affect the deposit of the coin in receptacle 9. It is, therefore, ap- 20 parent that coins or slugs which are outside of the acceptable weight will be deposited in reject receptacles I or 9 depending on whether they are heavier or lighter than the acceptable weight above mentioned. 25

In order that coins or slugs may be deposited in the proper receptacles carrier I9 is provided with a trip element 22 which cooperates with a series of trips 23, 24, and 23 to disengage keeper H from the coin or slug, which may be in carrier 30 it, when the carrier is in the position to deposit the coin or slug in the proper receptacles 9, I or 9.

Keeper II, trip element,22, and trips 23, 24, and 25 will now be described. v

Keeper II comprises a V-shaped member hav- 35 ing spaced upwardly extending arms 28 at its forward end through the upper ends of which a pin 21 extends and on which the keeper'is pivotally supported. Pin 21 is supported in a U- shaped bracket 29 secured to they top of and at 40,

the forward end of carrier it. A leg 29 of keeper l1 extends into a downwardly and forwardly inclined slot 30 formed in the top of carrier l9 and when in its full line position engages and retains a coin or slug-of thev proper size in carrier" 45 until the keeper is released to allow the coin or slug to discharge into one of receptacles 6, I, or 9, depending upon its weight. Leg 29 of keeper I! as shown in Fig. 3, is considerably wider than carrier l9 and projects. laterally from each side 50' thereof, so that, as will be described later herein, it will cooperate with stop 29 to effect the discharge of slugs, which are heavier than standard weight coins, into receptacle 9.

In Fig. 4, a coin (quarter) is shown in broken 55 lines in the position it is retained by keeper I! when it first arrives therein from chute 5. Leg 29 lies tangent to the coin at a point forwardly of the highest point of the coin. To release the coin from carrier l9,keeper I1 is turned counter- 60 clockwise and as it turns, the coin rolls downwardly towards the outlet of the carrier. It will be apparent that keeper I! should not at any time as it turns, exert any force on the coin which will tend to roll the coin upwardly in the carrier, 65

i as this would require that a strong tripping force.

be applied to the keeper and this would decrease the sensitivity of the device. To prevent the exertion of such a force on the coin, the vshaped portion of keeper I! is so shaped that leg 29 thereof is always tangent to the coin as it rolls downwardly in carrier I 9 as the keeper is moving out of slot 39. In other words, the line of contact between leg 29 and keeper l1 and the 75 V 2,045,970 coin or slug should be one of tangency to the contour of the coin, or slug.

Trip element 22 comprises a tongue 3| shown as being upwardly curved, and which projects forwardly of carrier ii. The rear end of the tongue terminates in spaced downwardly projecting legs 32 disposed between arms 26 of keeper ll. Pin 21 extends through legs 32 and pivotally supports element 22. The forward edges 33 of legs 32 extend below the upper surface of keeper I! at its forward end and from these points the lower edges of legs 32 curve upwardly as at 34,

so as to clear keeper II when trip 22 is turned clockwise. Thus if trip element 22 is turned clockwise as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, legs 32 will not engage keeper H but if the trip is turned counterclockwise the lower forward ends of legs 32 will engage the forward end of keeper l1 and turn it counterclockwise on pin 21, thereby moving leg 29 of the keeper out of slot 39 and out of engagement with a coin or slug that may be in the carrier Hi. In order to limit the turning movement of trip 22 in a clockwise direction a stop 35, in the form of a pin is inserted through the upper portion of bracket 28, see Fig. 3. Trip element 22 and keeper l'I always return to the full line position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 upon the return of carrier Hi to its coin or slug receiving position.

Weight 20 is shown threaded on arm 2| so that it may be adjusted towards or from the shaft l3. By adjusting weight 29 along arm 2|, the acceptable weight range of coin may be preselected. Weight 20 may be so adjusted that only legal weight coin is accepted or it may be adjusted to accept lighter (worn) coin but these limits should not be so wide as to permit slugs to pass for acceptable legal coin.

The operation of unit 4 will now be described, and since units 2 and 3 operate in the same manner as unit 4, the operation of units 2 and 3 will not be described.

Assuming unit 4 is adjusted to take quarters of standard weight and/or quarters which have been worn but which are within say four grains of the standard weight, a quarter when deposited in chute 5 will roll into carrier I6 and will be retained therein'by keeper II. The weight of the quarter in carrier I6 will cause arm I 2 to swing downwardly to a position in which trip element 22 slides over stop 24. As it slides over stop 24 the element 22 turns clockwise and therefore does not disengage keeper I! from the coin. When the carrier has moved slightly past trip 24 it comes to rest and starts to swing upwardly and past trip 24. As the carrier moves past stop 24 on the upswing, tongue 3| of trip element 22 engages trip 24 whereby it is caused to turn counterclockwise thereby turning keeper l1 counterclockwise and releasingthe coin immediately so that it drops in the receptacle 6 from which the coin passes through theproper channels of the telephone which will either effect a connection with the central oflice or make a connection by which the depositor, can complete his own call.

If a legal quarter is deposited in chute 5 which is lighter than the minimum acceptable weight for which unit 4 is'adjusted, then carrier l6 will not swing downwardly past trip 24, i. e., the downward swing will be arrested by weight 20 before trip element 22 has moved across trip 24. On the reswing, i. e., the upswing of carrier i6, trip element 22 engages stop 23, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, whereby the trip element is turned counterclockwise causing keeper II to turn counterclockwise and to release the underweight coin to the reject receptacle I from which it slides via chute 8 to the return receptacle, usually provided with telephones.

If a slug is deposited in chute 5, which is of 5 a diameter so small that it will not engage leg 29 of keeper this slug will merely pass through carrier IS without causing arm |2 to swing downwardly and the slug will drop into the reject receptacle I.

If a slug, of a size which will engage leg 29 of keeper I1 is deposited in chute 5, but which is of a weight greater than the standard weight of a legal quarter, the down-swing of arm l2 and carrier I6 will be of such amplitude that stop .15 25 will engage leg 29 of keeper II as at 31 (in which case carrier l6 would be inverted with respect to the position it occupies in Fig. 1) and turn the keeper out of engagement with the slug. The momentum of the slug at this point will cause 20 it to be discharged into reject receptacle 9.

If a slug of greater weight than the weight of a standard legal quarter, is deposited in chute 5, the downswing of the carrier and arm |2 will be rapid at the beginning but as it approaches 25 step 25, the velocity of the swing will have decreased to such extent that leg 29 of keeper I! will not strike stop or trip 25 with sufilcient impact to destroy the adjustment or the sensitivity of the device. The deceleration of the downswing is accomplished by the detector weight 20, which as stated previously herein, exerts its maximum arresting force when weight 20 and its arm 2| have swung through an angle of 90 from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1.

When arm l2 and carrier l6 have swung downwardly no matter how far, the detector weight 29, and counterbalance weight l8 will efiect the return or upswing of carrier I6, but as the carrier approaches the discharge end of chute 5, the return eiTect of the detector weight 20 becomes less and less and is zero when it reaches a position vertically under support shaft l3. This action of the detector weight 20 both on the downswing and the upswing causes the carrier to come to rest at the end of its swings in either direction gently and without undesirable impact.

From the above it will be seen that the amplitude of the downswing of carrier I6 for underweight legal coins and slugs extends fromchute 5 down to but not past stop 24; for legal coins of acceptable weight, the amplitude extends from chute 5 down to but not past stop 25; and for slugs of greater weight than legal coin, the downswing amplitude extends past stop 25. There are therefore three amplitude zones, and in the first two mentioned zones, the release of coin or slug takes place on the return or upswing, while in the last zone, the release of overweight slugs takes place on the downswing or at about the 60 end of the downswing.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device for use with coin operated machines adapted to accept legal coin of standard weight and to reject underweight coins and slugs of underweight and undersize, and slugs heavier than legal weight coins, said device comprising a conveying chute, a pivotally supported swing am having a coin carrier at one end and a counterweight adapted to urge the arm in such direction that the carrier is in coin or slug receiving position with the chute, a keeper on said carrier for retaining a coin or slug of a certain diameter 75 therein, means for moving the keeper out of engagement with the coin or slug in the carrier, said carrier swinging downwardly with the armwhena coin or slug is in the carrier and of a size to engage the keeper, a reject receptacle for underweight coins and slugs or undersize slugs, a reject receptacle for overweight slugs, and a receptacle for legal weight coins, means for actuating the keeper moving means to effect the release of coins or slugs to the receptacle to which it relates by weight,.and means associated with said. swing arm for so controlling the downswing of the arm that the keeper actuating means will be operated to effect the release of coin or slug to the proper receptacle according to its weight.

2. A device for use with coin operated devices and designed to reject both unacceptable coin and slugs, comprising a coin receiving chute, a pivotally supported swing-arm having a coin carrier and a counterweight which normally urges the arm to a position in which the carrier is in position to receive coins or slugsfrom the chute, a coin or a slug of coinsi'ze, causing the arm to swing downwardly, means for retaining the coin or slugin the carrier, means spaced along the path of travel of the carrier for actuating the retaining means to a position to release a coin or a slug from the carrier according to the weight thereof, and means associated with the swingarm for causing the arm to swing into a release position corresponding to the weight of the coin or slug in the carrier in which position the retaining means is actuated by one of said release means to release position, one of said release means beingoperative, on underweight coin and slugs, another being operative on acceptable coin, and another being operative on overweight slugs.

3. A device for use with coin operated devices and designed to reject both unacceptable coins and slugs, comprising a coin receiving chute, a pivotally supported swing-arm having a coin carrier and a counterweight which normally urges the arm to a position in which the carrier is in position to receive a coin or a slug from the chute, a coin or a slug of coin size, causing the arm to swing downwardly, means for retaining the coin or slug in the carrier, means spaced along the path of travel of the carrier for actuating the retaining means to a position to release a coin or a slug from the carrier according to the weight thereof, a weight detector secured to the swing arm for arresting the downswing of the arm and carrier at such a point, as determined by the weight of such coin or slug, that the release means may become operative to cause unacceptables, such as underweight slugs, underweight coins, and overweight slugs to be released for rejection, and to cause acceptable coins to be released for acceptance to an acceptance receptacle, there being means for conveying the aforesaid unacoeptables when released, to a return chute.

4. A device for use with coin operated devices and designed to reject both unacceptable coins and sings, comprising a coin receiving chute, a pivotally supported swing-arm having a coin carrier and a counterweight which normally urges the arm to a position in which the carrier is in position to receive a coin or a slug from the chute, a coin or a slug of coin size, causing the arm to swing downwardly, means for retaining the coin or slug in the carrier, means spaced along the path of travel of the carrier for actuating the retaining means to a position to release a coin or a slug from the carrier according to the weight thereof, a weight detector secured to the weight arm at such a point with reference to the axis about which the swing-arm turns that when the carrier is in coin-receiving position the moment of the detector is zero but which moment increases in accordance with the sine of the angle through which it swings when the swing arm is on its downswing, said detector arresting the downswing of the arm and carrier at such a point, as determined by the weight of such coin or slug, that the release means may become operative to cause underweight slugs, underweight coins, and overweight slugs to be released at points determined by the respective weights thereof, and acceptable coin to be released at a point difierent from the points of release of the unacceptables to an acceptance receptacle, there being means for conveying the aforesaid unacceptables when released, to a return chute.

5. A device according to claim 1 in which the carrier comprises an open ended member through which coins or slugs may pass, said member having a downwardly inclined slot in the top thereof, a keeper pivotally mounted on the top of said carrier and having a portion extending into said slot so as to engage coins or slugs tangentially, a trip member pivotally mounted on the carrier and acting only to turn the keeper to a position to release a coin or a slug from the carrier, and trip means spaced along the path of swing of the carrier adapted to actuate the trip member and keeper only on the upswing of the carrier arm to efiect the release of coin to-the acceptance receptacle if of proper weight and to efiect the release of slugs or underweight coin to reject receptacles.

6. A device according to claim 4 characterized by that the weight detector lies in a vertical plane passsing through the axis of rotation of the swing arm when the carrier is in coin receiving relation to the chute and that said detector is adjustable towards or from said axis to preselect the allowable weight range of acceptable legal coin.

CHARLES B. BROOKS.

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