US2121971A - Coin controlled apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Jane 28, 1938. M, L, LANbETH 2,121,971

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Original Filed July 11, 1936 Patented June 28, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT orrics com CONTROLLED APPARATUS Original application July 11, 1936, Serial No.

90,085. Divided and this application January 29, 1937, Serial No. 122,969

2 Claims.

This invention relates to coin controlled apparatus, and more particularly to coin collectors for use at telephone pay stations, and this application is a division of my cope-nding applica- '51 tion" Serial No. 90,085, filed July 11, 1936.

This invention is particularly applicable to telephone coin collectors of the type wherein the user tentatively deposits a coin which is subsequently collected or refunded by the central office operator, depending upon whether or not the desired telephone connectionis obtained. A telephone c'oin collector of this-general type is disclosed in O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent 1,043,219, issued November 5, 1912, in which a deposited coin is temporarily held upon a coin trap supported by a pivoted vane under the control of an electromagnet. At an appropriate time the pivoted vane is moved by the electromagnet in one direction to collect the deposited coin or in the opposite direction to refund the coin depending upon which direction the current is made to flow through the electromagnet by the central ofiice operator. It is desirable to provide'apparatus for this purpose that will initiate accurate and consistent signals to the central ofiice indicating the deposit and disposition of coins and also resist any attempts at fraudulent operation.

An object of this invention isto provide a coin controlled apparatus of simple and inexpensive construction and efficient operation.

In accordance with the above object there is provided in one embodiment of the invention a telephone coin collector comprising an electromagnet having a permanently magnetized armature mounted pivotally for limited rotative movement, a coin hopper for receiving a deposited coin, and a pivoted vane in the coin hopper operated directly by the armature for selectively directing the deposited coin into either a refund or collect chute in the hopper. A pivoted trap is provided in the hopper to support the deposited coin and to closea circuit connecting the apparatus to a central office When initially deflected by the Weight of the deposited coin. To insure consistent and positive operation of the apparatus, a magnetic latch isprovided to engage and lock the vane in its normal position and release it when the electro magnet is energized. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly fragmentary, of one type of telephone coin collector with which this invention may be used;

Fig. 2 is a side View, partly in section, of an electromagnetically operated coin handling mechanism, embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is a front view, partly in section, of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2, taken along the line 33; 1

Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 3 taken along the line 44; 1

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional rear View taken on line 55 of Fig. 4, showing the coin divert ing vane in an inclined position;

Fig. 6' is an enlarged fragmentary section of Fig. 4, taken along the line 6-6 Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of Fig. 4 taken along the line '!l, and

Fig. 8 is a similar vieWto Fig. '7 showing an alternative constructionv for a coin directing vane and actuating armature.

In the operation of the telephone coin collector shown in the appended drawing, a person wish ing to use the equipment inserts a coin in a coin gauge Ill mounted on the instrument housing. The deposited coin after traversing a coin chute H for testing its genuineness, drops into a coin hopper l2 and comes to rest on a coin trap I3 extending across the coin passageway. The trap is pivotally mounted and while supporting a deposited coin engages a roller It on a vertical vane l5 pivoted at its lower end. A coin passage below the trap is divided into two channels, a refund chute 16 leading to an opening where coins are accessible from outside the collector housing, and a collect chute i'i leading to a cash compartment within the housing. As explained in the Forsberg patent, if the vertical vane is moved to close the collect passageway, dropping of the trap will allow the deposited coin to fall into the refund chute while if the vane is moved to close the refund chute dropping of the trap will allow the deposited coin to be diverted into the chute leading to the cash compartment. The apparatus so far described is similar to that disclosed in the Forsberg patent.

This invention is. concerned with improved means for actuating the coin directing vane and controlling the operation of line circuits connecting the apparatus with the central ofiice when a coin is deposited in the hopper or released from the coin trap.

Referring now to the drawing (Figs. 2 to 8' inclusive), an electromagnet I8 is suitably mounted adjacent to the coin hopper I2 on a common base I9. The electromagnet comprises two coils 20, each wound on a core 2| of soft iron or other magnetic material. The ends of the cores adjacent to the hopper terminate in pole pieces 22 and 23 of magnetic material, which project inwardly to the edge of spool heads 24 on the coils and have opposed curved faces. At the end of the coils opposite the pole pieces the magnetic cores are secured to a vertical flange 25 of the base l9 by means of screws 26. With this construction the flange portion between the screws completes a magnetic circuit between the cores. the introduction of direct current to their win-dings establishes opposed polarities in the pole pieces in accordance with the direction of the current as controlled by a central office operator. 7 A permanent magnet 2'! having an elongated vertical axis is mounted pivotally on the base by means of a leaf or reed spring 28. The magnet is located between and in the same plane with the pole pieces of the electromagnet. One end of the leaf spring is secured to the base with a suitable mounting 29 and the center of the spring is cut out to yoke the permanent magnet and en gage a slot 30 in the top portion of the magnet. The bottom end 3| of the magnet armature is V- shaped or knife-edged and rests in a corresponding V-shaped depression in the base. The leaf spring holds the permanent magnet armature resiliently in a normally vertical position, retaining the upper pole of the magnet about midway between the two pole pieces.

When the coils are energized the pole pieces, which are aligned with the upper pole of the magnet armature, attract and repel the upper pole of the magnet in accordance with the direction of current flow in the coils, thereby causing the armature to rotate in the V-shaped depression in the base against one of the pole pieces and carry the leaf spring with it. A disk 32 of non-magnetic material, such as brass, is secured to the two faces of the magnet which contact with a pole piece to prevent freezing of these members.

The coin diverting vane 15 is connected directly to the armature by means of an ear 33 on the vane having a U-shaped cross-section which projects through an opening in the hopper housing and engages 2. lug 34 on the armature as shown in Fig. 'I. The lug projects from the side and near the top of the armature and may be offset slightly to clear the supporting leaf spring. Operation of the armature by the introduction of current to the coils, as controlled by the central ofiice operator, causes the vane to rotate on its pivot. This permits the trap to drop and release the deposited coin into either the refund or col lect chute. It is also practical to actuate the vane by engagement between the ear 33 on the vane and the leaf spring, as shown in Fig. 8.

In order to insure satisfactory operation of the coin controlling mechanism and to prevent fraudulent manipulation of the apparatus to effect the unauthorized return of deposited coins, the vane is locked in its normal or vertical position. This is accomplished with an elongated latch member 35 of magnetic material which is pivoted to the outside of the hopper on the same shaft 36 as the coin trap and extends downwardly into the plane of one of the pole pieces 22.

Secured to one face of the magnetic latch adjacent to the pole piece is a spring 31 of nonmagnetic material which is compressed against the pole piece and normally holds a notch 38 in the latch member in engagement with the vane to prevent movement thereof. When the electromagnet is energized to cause rotation of The two coils are connected in series and the coin directing vane, the magnetic latch member is attracted by the adjacent pole piece with suflicient force to overcome the resistance of the spring and rotate the latch member on its pivot, thus releasing the vane. The spring and latch are comparatively light in weight and when the pole piece is energized the latch responds instantaneously to release the vane before initial motion of the electromagnet armature, which is restrained by greater inertia and the supporting leaf spring, is applied to rotate the vane.

After the coin is collected, the line circuit is opened by the central oflice operator. The coils and pole pieces are immediately deenergized which permits the spring to restore the latch member into the path of the returning vane and forces the notch in the latch into engagement with the vane, looking it in normal position. The spring 3'! is made of non-magnetic material which prevents freezing of the latch to the armature and facilitates the restoring action of the spring when the pole piece is deenergized.

The coin trap is also employed to signal the deposit of a coin to the central office operator. A

projection 39 extends from the edge of the trap opposite the trap pivot and projects through an opening in the hopper wallto engage a notched lug 4i] secured to a horizontal shaft 4| on the outside of the hopper wall when the trap is in a horizontal or highest position. The shaft also carries at its outer end an insulated cam 42 which actuates a pair of contact springs 43. The contact springs are mounted on a bracket 44 on the upper housing of the coin hopper. They are individually insulated and provided with terminals 45 and 46 which are suitably connected to a line circuit running to the central office as explained in the Forsberg patent.

In a complete cycle of operation the coin trap assumes three significant positions. Normally it is retained in its highest position by frictional engagement between the cam 42 and the two tensioned contact springs, aided by a counterweight 47, as shown in Fig. 4. In this position the projection 39 on the trap is in engagement with the lug 40 and the insulated cam on the connecting shaft 4! is positioned to hold the two contact springs apart. When a coin is deposited on the trap the weight of the coin overcomes this frictional resistance and depresses the trap against the roller on the vertical vane beneath the trap. This movement rotates the shaft 4| and the cam 42 sufiiciently to permit the contact springs to close and complete the line circuit to the central office.

As the next step in the cycle, the vane is rotated by operation of the electromagnet to collect or return the, deposited coin. After the coin is released from the trap the electromagnet is deenergized, permitting the leaf spring to return the armature and the connected vane to their normal positions. In this action the roller on the vane and counterweight on the trap combine to raise the trap to a horizontal position. To insure positive return of the trap to its normal or elevated position cam members 48 are secured pivotally to the bottom of the trap to engage the top of the vane on its return stroke. As shown in Fig. 5 this cam has a flange 49 secured at an angle of approximately to a relatively long arm 50 which is normally in a vertical position. When the coin directing vane is moved from its vertical position to drop the trap, the cam. is free to swing on its pivot and avoid interference with the vane movement. On the return stroke of the I vane the'. cam arm is positionedin its path by the flange-49 whichrests against the trap bottom; In this position the elongated cam arm presents an inverted inclined planeto the vane which causes the vane to lift the trap to its normal position. The projecting'member on the coin trap engagesthe notched lug which rotates the horizontal shaft and the insulated cam positioned between the line'switch contact springs sufficiently.

to' spread the springs and open the line circuit.

This construction provides a simple and emcient mechanism for actuating a coin controlled apparatus and signalling the deposit and disposition of coins in:the"apparatus. Movement of the trap by thejcoin directly operates the line circuit which insures positive and consistent performance with a minimum of component mechanisms.

Variousmodifications and adaptations of the described embodiment are feasible, and it is to be -,understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the following claims:

What is claimed is: I 1. In a coin controlled apparatus, a coin hopper, a pivoted trap inthehopper deflectable from its normal position bydep'osit of a coin in the hopper, a hinged coin directing vane below the trap for normally arresting deflection of the trap causedby deposit of a coin, an electromagnet for rotating the vane to release the trap and restore the vane, and a cam pivoted on the bottom of the trap comprising an elongated arm disposed in the path of the moving vane, and a second arm, of relatively shorter length fixed to the elongated arm and adapted to permit the elongated arm to swing free of the vane on its forward stroke I and to hold the elongated arm in the path of the vane on its return stroke for causing the vane to restore the trap to its normal position.

2. In a coin controlled apparatus, a coin chute, a hinged coin trap in the chute deflectable from its normal position by deposit of a coin a pivoted vane normally positioned to arrest the movement of the trap caused by deposit of a coin thereon,

means for rotating the vane to release the arrested trap and subsequently restoring the vane, and

a pivotally mounted member on the trap adapted to swing free ofthe vane as the'vane is rotatedfrom its normal position and-to engagethe vane during the restoration of the vane for returning the trap to normal.

MORTON L. LANDRETH.

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