Coin operated vending apparatus with door operated coin return & pawls therefore

Abstract

A coin operated vending machine in which the coin sorting mechanism comprises a pair of chutes for transferring coins from the slots into which they are inserted by the consumer to a position in which the coins are resting upon a locking bar which is pivotally mounted on the element of the machine which is to be locked. Selected pawls may be adjustably mounted relative to the chutes so as to extend into the chutes to cooperate with the upper ends of coins therein. A coin seat or cam is formed on the locking bar and, as the consumer attempts to open the machine, the coin becomes wedged between the pawl and the seat, biasing the locking bar away from a latching-actuating lever. If the proper coins are not inserted, the locking bar will not be actuated away from the lever, causing the lever to open the chutes throughout the entire length thereof so that the coins and all other matter inserted into the slots will be rejected and returned to the consumer by deposit thereof in a coin return receptacle. A wide variety of pawls may be used for the coin selection depending upon the particular amount of money required to operate the machine. All of the pawls required for most coin combinations may be manufactured from a single blank which may be selectively formed into a wide variety of pawl configurations.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a coin operated vending machine which is mechanically actuated in accordance with the diameter of coins inserted thereinto. Such machines are subjected to a wide variety of uses and are often found in newspaper display and vending machines such as those located in shopping centers, etc. Of course, use of the invention is not limited to such machines; it may be employed in nearly any application requiring coin insertion for operation. However, for the sake of illustration, discussion of the invention will be in relation to its use with newspaper vending machines.

Many local governmental bodies have now passed ordinances relating to such machines and, particularly, require that such coin operated vending machines be provided with apparatus for rejecting and returning improperly inserted coins or coins of the wrong values. Further, such machines must return the coins to the consumer unless, in fact, he is provided with access to the interior of the machine so that he can obtain the article he is intending to purchase.

Of course, it also behooves the vendor to comply with these regulations voluntarily since such machines are highly subject to vandalism. Consumers who insert the proper amount of money, and then cannot open or operate the machine, rightly are entitled to return of their money. When it is not returned, they occasionally become irate and physically attack or abuse the machine. Sometimes, the consumer is so frustrated by his predicament that he damages or destroys it in order to obtain the item to which he believes himself to be fairly entitled.

Of course, such machines are also subject to the malicious mischief type of vandalism, such as when vandals insert paper or other foreign matter into the coin receiving apparatus as a "prank."

Prior art machines have been provided with apparatus for rejecting and returning bent coins, coins of improper value for the vended device, etc. Unfortunately, the prior art devices have employed very complex structure which results in the apparatus being susceptible to malfunction as well as being very expensive to manufacture. Further, the prior art devices have not served to alleviate the malicious mischief type of vandalism which occurs when juveniles and pranksters attempt to stuff paper and other foreign matter through the coin slot and foul up the operation of the machine so that it cannot be used by others.

A few of the prior art machines have provided for coin reject systems in which a portion of the transfer chute may be opened so that any matter therein will fall free of the apparatus and enter the coin return receptacle. These machines make no provisions for the rejection or removal of seriously bent coins, paper, etc., between the locations defined by the coin slots and the coin sorting mechanism. Thus, if a seriously bent coin, a matchbook cover, or other similar matter is inserted through the coin slot, the machine is unusable until the vendor returns and fishes the foreign matter out of the chute -- if he is able to do so. In the meantime, other consumers who insert coins into the slot not only are unable to open the machine but are unable to retrieve the money which they inserted. If one of these consumers should become irate and attack the machine, the vendor's costs will suddenly increase drastically since for example, in the case of a newspaper vending machine, the plastic display bubble may be ruptured and a relatively expensive and time-consuming operation must be accomplished to replace it.

Many prior art machines which have employed non-complex coin sorting structure provide for the preliminary selection of coins by the movement of a plate inside the coin system housing between positions in which one of the coin receiving slots is covered so that a consumer cannot insert coins into it. Unfortunately, this system is also subject to being defeated in that, in most cases, it is possible to move the plate from outside the machine by means of a tool such as a penknife.

The more complex prior art machines are not so easily subject to defeat, but are difficult and expensive to produce and require frequent repair due to their complexity. In some cases, the coin chute is pivotable from side to side so that the coins may be properly directed either to the retention receptacle or the return receptacle. Thus, the structure must be able to accomplish these various movements while, at the same time, preventing the vending device from being operated by the consumer unless the proper coinage has been inserted.

Consequently, it is desirable to provide a simple coin sorting apparatus which allows the operation of a vending machine upon the suitable insertion of coins thereinto, allows the rejection of insufficient coins, bent coins, and other foreign matter regardless of the position thereof within the apparatus, and which may be quickly and easily changed from a condition in which it accepts coins of one quantity to a condition in which it accepts coins of another, without the coin change system being subject to defeat by the consumer. It is also desirable to provide such a machine, utilizing coin-sorting pawls, in such a manner that a single master pawl blank may be utilized and merely reshaped into various configurations depending upon the amount of the coins required by the vendor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a coin sorting and actuating mechanism which may be utilized in a machine to prohibit operation thereof until the consumer has inserted predetermined coinage into the mechanism. More specifically, the invention relates to a mechanically operated mechanism which is actuated by coins of predetermined diameters, such as nickels, dimes, and quarters, so that when the proper number of coins have been inserted into the machine, it will release a latching mechanism to allow the consumer to operate the machine. For example, he can remove the product being vended from the display or storage portion of the machine.

A mechanism formed in accordance with the present invention may be utilized with any number of devices but the configuration disclosed here will be particularly related to a newspaper display and vending machine of the type which might be found on a street corner or in a shopping center. Such machines normally have display portions which are surrounded by plastic partitions or a plastic bubble so that newspapers in the storage portion of the machine may be seen by the consumer. Such machines allow him to see the headline to determine whether or not he desires to purchase a paper. Also that he can avoid putting money into the mechanism if the machine is empty.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as will be described here, the invention is employed in the form of a mechanism or structure which may be suitably mounted within a housing which may be locked, such as by a padlock. The body of the mechanism may comprise a pair of transfer chutes which extend and expand at the upper end of the housing to form coin-receiving funnels. The funnels are mounted in the housing immediately behind a face plate having a pair of proportioned coin slots therein so that the coins inserted through one of the slots will fall into the corresponding funnel and coins inserted into the other slot will fall into the other funnel. For example, one of the slots can be proportioned as to admit only dimes while the other slot is proportioned to admit quarters and nickels. The transfer chutes comprise a pair of pivotally mounted outer wall members which are cooperatively biased against the surface of a central, fixed wall. Thus, the central wall forms one surface, on the opposite sides thereof, of each of the transfer chutes.

Near the lower end of the mechanism, a pair of wing-like adjustment plates may be fixedly mounted on the center wall and so formed as to extend substantially perpendicularly to the movable side walls of the chutes.

An access slot may be formed in each of the chute side walls adjacent the adjustment plates so that reaction pawls of various configurations, mounted on the plates, can extend into the chutes. Each pawl may be counterweighted so that it is held against the central wall of its chute while being pivotally mounted on the adjustment plate so that a coin passing through the chute will pass the pawl, moving it out of the way momentarily. If desired, suitable slots may also be formed in the lower end of the central wall so that pawls mounted on one adjustment plate may extend therethrough to cooperate with coins in the opposite chute. Thus, at least for certain coin combinations, the reaction pawl may be mounted in the opposite chute from the one into which some of the coins are inserted by the consumer.

In the case of the newspaper vending machine, a locking bar may be pivotally mounted on the rear surface of the storage compartment access door and be biased upwardly. A pair of teeth, on either side of a channel formed by the locking bar may suitably engage an actuating lever which is pivotally mounted on the mechanism, thus preventing the door from being opened unless a predetermined action, i.e., the insertion of suitable coins, is accomplished first. When the locking bar teeth engage the actuating lever, such as when an attempt is made to open the door without proper coins being in the chutes, the actuating lever will pull against crank arms on the chute walls, forcing the chutes to open throughout their entire lengths, including the funnels at the upper ends thereof.

When the chute outer walls are pivoted to the open position, if someone has engaged in malicious mischief and attempted to foul up the machine by plugging the coin chutes, such as by inserting bent coins, cardboard, etc., any materials therein will be ejected from the chutes and fall into a coin return receptacle. Similarly, if a consumer should insert the wrong combination of coins, when he attempts to open the door the chutes will open and the coins in the chute will fall into the return receptacle.

Thus, the chutes, pawls, locking bar, etc. acting together can be considered to be a sorting means since a proper combination of coins will allow the machine to be operated; any other combination or foreign material will be "sorted out," or rejected.

The locking bar may be formed as a channel and extend, when the door is closed, so that the central portion thereof is located immediately below the lower ends of the chutes. Thus, when coins fall through the chutes, the lowest coin in each chute will contact the inner wall of the locking bar channel. A portion of the locking bar may extend beyond the end of the channel and may be so configured as to provide a coin seat or camming surface thereon. When proper coins are in the chutes, the lowest coin will be moved into contact with the cam seat when an attempt is made to open the door. The lowermost coin in each chute will be driven upwardly into the chute as it comes into contact with the coin seat. In turn, each of the upper coins in the chutes will be driven upwardly until the uppermost coin comes into contact with a pawl located in accordance with the price required to operate the machine. The reaction force of this contact will cause the locking bar to be moved about its pivotal mounting so as to cause the locking teeth to be driven below the lower edge of the actuating lever. Continued pulling on the door will cause the locking bar to move away from beneath the lower ends of the chutes and the coins therein will fall into a holding receptacle.

Thus it can be seen that a coin sorting and operating mechanism per se formed in accordance with the present invention may be produced in a very simple form.

As an added feature of the invention, the reaction pawls may all be produced from a single sheet metal blank or stamping and then may be cut and shaped to cooperate in different combinations so that various combinations of coins may be utilized to allow the machine to be operated.

In some instances, it is desirable to provide the mechanism with suitable apparatus for allowing the machine to be utilized in such a way as to require different coins for different products. For example, some newspapers sell for 10 cents on weekdays and 50 cents on Sundays. Consequently, different combinations of pawls may be used on different days in order to require the consumer to insert the proper coinage into the machine. By way of example, there may be a pawl in the machine for actuation of the locking bar by means of a dime and another pawl for actuation by means of two nickels. The same machine may also be provided with pawls for actuation of the locking bar by two quarters; one quarter, two dimes, and one nickel; or five dimes. It is quite apparent that some means must be provided for eliminating the use of the dime and two nickel pawls when 50 cents is to be required for the machine operation.

Accordingly, a pawl deactivation device may be provided which can be simply and easily actuated to temporarily withdraw unwanted pawls from their operative locations within the transfer chutes. Again, to maintain such structure as simple as possible, a crank rod may be mounted adjacent the upper end of the housing and be provided with an eccentric stop member thereon. A small aperture in the housing, aligned with the end of the crank rod, may be utilized for providing a screwdriver surface in the eccentric so that the crank rod may be turned. Suitable positioning of the eccentric relative to the wall of the housing will allow the eccentric to abut the wall in such a manner that the deactivation device is positively retained in the desired position. Thus, when the retractor is withdrawing a pawl from its operative position, it can positively prohibit the reactivation of the pawl until the desired time.

Utilizing the present invention, a relatively long pair of chutes may be provided which allows the consumer to insert the coins into the slots at a convenient height without having to stoop and bend over. At the same time, however, the locking bar may be mounted adjacent the edge of the door distal from its hinge and thus provides the maximum locking force to hold the door against unauthorized opening of the machine. At the same time, all of the previously described advantages of the invention, such as the ejection and foreign matter clearing mechanism, are always available.

In short, a few of the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

1. Simple but structurally strong, and highly reliable;

2. Essentially tamper-proof;

3. Clears and ejects all unwanted material, coins, etc., from any location in the entire mechanism;

4. Quickly and easily convertible from one coinage requirement operation to another;

5. Utilizes essentially a single pawl master blank for nearly all possible coin combinations;

6. Easily set up for any possible coinage requirements so that a vendor may sell his product at the price he selects rather than by an arbitrary machine design requirement.

Of course, other advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the description and drawings.

It will be realized by those skilled in the art, upon perusal of the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention constitutes a true advance in the art since it may be employed in relatively simple and inexpensive structure which produces all of the desirable features. It should be realized, however, that the illustrated embodiment is merely illustrative of what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention and the structure thereof should not be construed to limit the invention but rather to merely employ it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 comprises an isometric illustration of a newspaper display and vending machine utilizing the present invention;

FIG. 2 comprises a side sectional elevation of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1, as seen along a line II-II thereof;

FIG. 3 comprises a side elevation of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2, as seen from the opposite side thereof;

FIG. 4 comprises a rear elevation of the coin-sorting and actuating mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 4, as seen along a line V--V thereof;

FIGS. 6 and 7 comprise bottom plan views of the mechanism seen in FIGS. 1-4, illustrating the chutes in the closed and open positions, respectively;

FIG. 8 comprises an enlarged plan view of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in FIG. 4, which discloses additional pawls thereon;

FIG. 9 comprises a rear elevation of the housing employed on the machine illustrated in FIG. 1, with various structural elements deleted for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 10 is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the basic configuration of a pawl blank from which nearly all pawls which may be used with the mechanism may be produced;

FIGS. 11-16 illustrate some modifications of the basic pawl blank which may be used in the present invention; and

FIG. 17 illustrates a different pawl which might be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A newspaper display and vending machine 11 has been illustrated in FIG. 1 as comprising a housing 13 in which a platform 15 has been mounted and supported by coil springs 17 for vertical movement within the housing. Newspapers may be supported on the platform 15 and the entire structure supported on the ground by means of a plurality of legs 19.

The front panel 21 of the display and storage compartment of the machine may be pivotally attached to the housing 13 by one or more hinges 23 so that, when a handle 25 is pulled, the entire panel or door 21 tends to move about the pivot of the hinge 23 and access may be gained to the newspapers located on platform 15.

In general, the above-described structure does not comprise the subject matter of the present invention, but is merely meant to illustrate one embodiment in which the present invention may be utilized to restrict access to a compartment in which a product is stored for sale.

At one side of the machine, a housing 31 may be suitably attached thereto by any suitable device, such as by welding or by bolts to a strap 33 and/or a panel 35. A suitable cover 37 which fits over the top of the housing, extends part way down the front of the housing, covers the sides of the housing, and encloses an open back portion 39 of the housing (FIG. 9). The cover may be provided with a padlock-receiving means 41 so that a padlock passed therethrough and passed through similar means (not shown) suspended from the bottom of the housing may be used to lock the cover to the housing.

Immediately below the lower extremity of the front portion of the housing cover, a face plate or coin slot plate 43 may be provided having one or more slots 45 and 47. If desired, these slots may be proportioned to accept coins only of predetermined sizes. For example, slot 45 may be so proportioned as to accept only dimes whereas slot 47 will accept quarters or nickels.

At the lower end of the door 21, a channel-like locking bar or latch 49 may be mounted at a pivot 51 on a bracket 53 which may be suitably attached to the door. A leaf spring 55 may also be attached to the bracket by any suitable means such as a bolt 57 and may be located relative thereto so as to extend into the end of the channel-like locking bar 49 in order to maintain it in substantially the position illustrated in FIG. 2.

On each side of the channel 49, a finger or tooth 59 may be formed which extends above the plane of the latch so that, when the door is pulled and incorrect or insufficient coins are in the mechanism the teeth will contact an actuating lever 61 and the consumer will be prevented from opening the door. This structure should be considered to merely exemplify any apparatus which fulfills the desired function.

At the outer end of the locking lever 49, a coin seat or cam surface 63 may be provided so that, when proper coins are in the mechanism, the lever will be forced in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 2, about the pivot 51 and against the force of spring 55 so that the fingers 59 are moved below the plane of the actuating lever 61, thereby allowing the door to be opened.

In order to transfer the coins from the slots 45 or 47 to a position in which they are resting upon the upper surface of the latch 49, as illustrated in FIG. 4 a mechanism may be provided in accordance with the present invention, one form of which will now be described. A main, fixed wall member 71 may be formed to have a substantially L-shaped configuration as seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 and may be fixed to the interior surface of the front wall of the housing 31 by any suitable means such as welding, bolts, etc., as indicated, for example, at 73 in FIGS. 2 and 4.

A plurality of brackets 75 and 76 may be suitably attached to the main wall portion 71 by any desired means such as spot welding, riveting, etc. Whether the brackets are L-shaped as at 75 or are U-shaped as at 76, as illustrated at the lower part of FIG. 2, is immaterial so long as the applicable brackets have portions thereof which are substantially perpendicular to the main wall portion 71. In any event, a plurality of such perpendicular portions are formed on each side of the main wall and a plurality of cooperating brackets 77, 79 and 81, on each side of the wall, may be suitably pivoted thereto by any desired means such as rivets 83. In turn, each bracket 77, 79, and 81 is fixedly attached to a chute wall member 85 or 87, depending upon which side of the main wall 71 the brackets are located.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 6 and 7, chute side wall 87 is smaller than chute side wall 85 since the chute 88 may be aligned with the dime slot 45 while the chute 86 may be aligned with the quarter slot 47. At the upper end of each of the side walls, a funnel-like element 91 may be attached in any desired manner to the upper end of the side wall so that coins dropped through the slots 45 and 47 will be captured by the respective funnel-like elements and properly delivered to the transfer chutes 86 and 88 formed by the side walls 87 and 85 and the main wall 71. Thus coins pushed through the slots 45 and 47 will fall into the respective funnels 91 and drop through the aligned chute 86 or 88 until striking the latch 49.

The actuating lever 61 may be provided with a pair of upright strikers or fingers 93 and an upright lever section 95 at one side thereof (FIGS. 3 and 4) which may be pivotally supported on a bracket 97 fixed to the center wall 71. At the upper end of the lever section 95, a leaf spring 101 may be attached thereto any desired means such as a rivet 103. The leaf spring may be extended upwardly to contact a bracket 75, as illustrated in FIG. 3, in order to bias the actuating member 61 towards the position illustrated in FIG. 6. Consequently, when the locking teeth 59 enter into abutment with the actuating member 61, they will draw it toward abutment with the housing 31, as illustrated in FIG. 7, and the upright strikers 93 will pull on a portion of each of the adjacent brackets 81, thereby causing the side walls 85 and 87 to pivot about axes extending through the pivot points defined by the elements 83. In this manner, the chutes 86 and 88 may be opened to eject any material therein unless the latch 49 is moved about its pivot 51 so that the teeth 59 pass under bar 61.

As shown in FIG. 4, a coil spring 105 may be fastened between arms of one of the sets of chute wall brackets, such as 79, in order to bias the side walls 85 and 87 into contact with the center wall 71 as illustrated in FIG. 6. As a result, the mechanism is normally in the closed position illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6 until the teeth 59 enter into contact with the actuating member 61 in the manner previously described.

It is important to realize that one of the major features of this invention is the provision of structure which allows the entire transfer chute to be opened. Since the funnel-like members 91 are attached to the chute side walls, they will also move away from the center wall 71 and allow any foreign material caught therein to be dropped out of the mechanism and fall to the rear of the housing, which is normally oriented at the angle illustrated in FIG. 2. Matter thus rejected will contact the rear of cover 37 and fall down the housing past a panel 107 (FIG. 2), onto a sloped surface or ramp 109 (FIG. 10), and into the reject or return receptacle 111 from which it can be withdrawn through an aperture 113. Similarly, if the consumer should insert the incorrect number or value of coins into the mechanism so that they cannot operate the mechanism in the manner to be hereinafter described, the chutes will open and the coins will be discharged and rejected in a like manner so that the consumer may retrieve them.

Plate member 107 may be manufactured so as to extend entirely across the back of the housing 31 and also be produced so as to have a slightly bent portion 108 at the upper extremity thereof. When the cover 37 is placed over the housing 31, the cover and the bent portion 108 will enter into positive contact to form a "seal" so that rejected matter is prohibited from traveling any other path than that previously described, i.e., down the sloped surface 109 and into the reject compartment or receptacle 111.

In order to allow properly inserted coins to move the locking lever or latch 49 away from the actuating member 61, a pair of wing-like pawl adjustment and locating panels 115, 116 may be positioned and mounted on the sides of the main wall 71. If desired, these adjustment members may be formed individually or as an integral part of the brackets 75 and 76.

At approximately the position of the adjustment members, the side walls 85 and 87 may be provided with elongated slots 117 and 119 therein, respectively, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that one of the panels 115 may be formed with an elongated slot 123 and the other adjustment member provided with a similar slot 125. In the slot 125, a pawl 131 is illustrated as being fastened to the adjustment member by means of a pivot bolt 133. Although the bolt is an exemplary device only, the concept embodied here is that the pawl 131 is freely pivotable about the axis of the bolt so that the finger 135 on the pawl may be extended into the slot 119 in the side wall 87. In a similar fashion, pawls 137, 139, and 141 may be mounted on the adjustment panel 115 in such a manner that the fingers thereof extend into the slot 117 of the side wall 85. In both panels 115 and 116, the location of the pawls may be vertically adjusted by loosening the selected pivot pins or bolts 133, moving the pawl to a predetermined location in the panel adjustment slot, and retightening the pivot. Thus, the pawls may be easily adjusted, added, or removed.

When a coin is dropped down one of the chutes, it will come to rest on the upper surface of the locking lever 49. As a coin drops down the chute 86 for example, it will hit the fingers of each of the pawls 137, 139, and 141, causing each of them, in turn, to pivot about their pivot axes 133 momentarily to allow passage of the coin. Since each of the pawls may be counterweighted by causing the outer ends thereof to weigh more than the finger portions of the pawls, they will immediately pivot back against the inner surface of the chute, i.e., the main wall 71.

Assuming that the device is programmed to open when five nickels are inserted into the machine, when the handle 25 is pulled the coin seat 63 will be drawn toward the lowest nickel. This will tend to push all of the coins back up into the chute until the upper coin contacts the lower end of the finger of the pawl 137. Further upward movement of the coins is then prohibited since the finger of pawl 37 will be wedged against center wall 71. Thus, continued pulling on the handle 25 will cause the lever 49 to move about its pivot 51 against the force exerted by the spring 55, thereby forcing the locking teeth 59 below the lever 61 and allowing the door 21 to be opened. When the coin seat passes beyond the coins in the chute, the coins will then drop into a funnel 145 suitably positioned in the sloped surface 109 of the housing (FIGS. 2 and 10). Passing through the funnel 145, the coins will fall into a small box or receptacle 147 which may be formed integral with the plate 107 by means of which the box or receptacle 147 can be conveniently picked up and removed from the housing 31.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 8, the center wall 71 may be provided with one or more slots 171 and 173, separated by a pawl stop 175. As will be explained more clearly hereinafter, the slots 171 and 173 may be provided to allow pawls, such as that shown at 177, to cooperate with coins in both chutes simultaneously. For example, the pawl 177 may be utilized for the purchase of a 50 cents newspaper when the consumer uses two dimes, one nickel, and one quarter. As the dimes are dropped down the chute 88, they push the pawl 177 in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot 133, as viewed in FIG. 8, and eventually come to rest on the latching lever 49. Similarly, a nickel and a quarter dropped down the chute 86 temporarily push the pawl 177 counterclockwise until they also fall beneath it. In a manner to be described, the pawl will then cooperate with the coins to force them against the coin seat on the latching lever so that the vending machine can be opened.

In FIGS. 4 and 8, various pawls are illustrated as they might be mounted. However, it is unlikely that the specific combination of pawls shown would be used together since pawl 137 will actuate the latch for five nickels, pawl 139 for two quarters, and pawl 141 for two nickels. In any event, the pawls 131 and 141 are shown in positions in which they might be mounted when the machine is to be opened for a cost of 10 cents. It is important to note that pawls 131, 139, and 141 are rotated out of their chutes in both figures for the sake of clarity. The pawl 131 is for cooperation with a dime; the pawl 141 is for cooperation with two nickels. Thus, either of these pawls would allow the machine to be opened for 10 cents. Of course, if the consumer should make an error and insert two quarters, pawl 139 would allow the machine to be opened. Similarly, in the illustrated arrangement pawls 137, 177, and 179 would allow the machine to be opened if the proper coins were inserted as set forth in the legend of the figure.

In the combination illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 8, it is sometimes desirable to prohibit the consumer from opening the machine for 10 cents, for example on Sunday when the cost of the paper might be 50 cents. In order to accomplish this, a deactivating device comprising a U-shaped cross rod 181 fixedly attached to an elongated rod 183 may be actuated by the operator so that the pawls 131 and 141 are moved from the positions in which they extend into the respective chutes 88 and 86.

Referring to the upper portion of FIG. 4, it can be seen that the elongated rod 183 may terminate in a connecting configuration, such as a loop 185 which is mounted on a crank bar 187 and retained on the bar by any suitable means, such as a press fit washer 189. The crank bar may be supported in a bracket 191 fastened to the housing 31 and, at the distal end thereof, be provided with an eccentrically mounted head member 193. As shown in FIG. 5, the head member may be provided with two flat sides 195 and 197 and a screwdriver-receiving slot 199. The rear of the housing 31 may be provided with a small lip or edge 200 which extends parallel to the front of the housing and defines the opening 39. Mounting of the bracket 191 closely adjacent that lip will position the head 193 in such a manner that the flat sides 195 and 197 thereof will cooperate with the housing lip in such a way as to positively limit location of the head and thus the crank 187.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the flat face or side 195 may be positioned against the housing lip when the crank is rotated to the position illustrated in FIG. 4, thereby eliminating the pawls 131 and 141 as actuating devices to allow opening of the machine by causing the cross rod 181 to pick up the counterweight portions of pawls 131 and 141 and pull their fingers out of the chute slots. In this way, the consumer will not be able to operate the device with one dime or two nickels, but his money will be rejected in the manner described above. The head 193 can be rotated in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 5, to cause the flat face or surface 197 to abut the housing lip and thus lower the deactivating cross bar 181 so that the 10 cents pawls return to the positions within the chutes.

Rotation of the head 193 may be accomplished by inserting a screwdriver through an opening 201 of the housing 31 illustrated in FIG. 4. Inadvertent or undesired movement of the head 193 on the crank arm 187 from the position in which the 10 cent pawls are deactivated to the position in which they are available for use is prevented as a result of the fact that the angled position of the housing 31 (see FIG. 2) is such that this device acts as an over-center locking device. In this manner, if the machine should be vibrated or some other similar action should occur, the face 195 would tend to be drawn more tightly into contact with the lip of the housing 31 rather than to allow movement of the crank in the opposite direction. This mounting angle may be utilized to create a very simple over-center reaction to the crank and thus no special structure is required.

In many cases, the vendor will desire to detach the cover 37 and insert a tool through the opening 201 into the slot 199 to adjust the pawl positions. However, in some instances it may be desirable to form a concentric opening in the cover 37 so that the latter need not be removed when the pawls are to be changed.

In order to properly support the deactivating device, one or more guide means 205 may be suitably fastened to the main wall section 71 so that the rod 183 will slide therethrough between the positions determined by the movement of the crank rod 187.

One of the important features of the invention comprises the fact that very few parts need to be used to produce a finished product. At first glance, it would appear from a review of FIGS. 4 and 5 that a wide variety of pawls must be manufactured to allow the mechanism to sort the coins so that the machine may be opened only upon receipt of a certain sum. However, as shown in FIG. 10, a single pawl member 211 may be produced from which nearly all other pawls may be formed. As illustrated, the master pawl blank 211 comprises a first finger 213 having a second, shorter finger 215 extending therefrom. The pawl may be counterweighted to force the fingers into their respective chutes by means of a counterweight section 217 having various apertures 219, 221, and 223 therein. It will be realized that the aperture 219 may be used to mount the pawl to the proper adjustment panel 115 or 116.

When it is desired to machine the pawls so that, for example, a pawl 177 (FIGS. 8 and 11) is to be produced, the finger 213 may be shortened, as illustrated in FIG. 11, and the pawl suitably mounted on the adjustment wing 116. As shown in FIG. 11, when the two dimes slide down the chute 88, the upper dime will rest against the finger 213, causing it to pivot slightly counterclockwise from the position illustrated in FIG. 8. Then, when the nickel and quarter are positioned in the chute 86, against the locking lever or latch 49, the finger 215 will cooperate with the upper of the latter two coins. When the consumer pulls on the handle 25, the nickel and quarter will become wedged between the finger 215 and the coin seat 63 allowing the door to be opened. Thus, the cross chute aperture 171 allows a single pawl to cooperate with coins in both chutes simultaneously so that the machine can be opened. Further, the unique relationship of the structure forming the present invention, as illustrated in the present embodiment, will allow the coins to be inserted into the machine in any order since the slight clearance between the finger 215 and the upper edge of the upper coin in the slot 86 will allow the pawl 177 to move about its pivot until such time as the quarter and nickel are driven against the lower end of the finger 215 by the coin seat 63.

In FIG. 12, a pawl 218 has been formed from the blank 211 by still further shortening the finger 213. In this form, the finger 213 may cooperate with a dime and finger 215 may cooperate with a quarter, as illustrated, in the manner similar to that described with the use of pawl 177. Additionally, the counterweight section has been shortened slightly, thereby forming a section 217a, to reduce the mass of the counterweight in order to better control the oscillation of the pawl when it is pivoted out of the way by a coin falling through one of the chutes.

In FIG. 13, the pawl blank 211 has had the finger 213 shortened considerably and the finger 215 removed entirely. Further, a notch 221 has been provided, thereby forming pawl 131. Notch 221 may be used to cooperate with a dime in the chute 87 in the manner illustrated. Alternatively, the pawl 131 can be mounted on the adjustment wing 115 in a slightly elevated position so as to cooperate with a quarter as illustrated in FIG. 14.

Again, by suitably positioning the pawl 131 relative to the slot 173 in the center wall 71, the pawl may be used to cooperate with two dimes in the chute 88 and a nickel in the chute 86 as illustrated in FIG. 15. Thus, the dimes in the chute 88 act against the outer surface of the finger 213, causing the lower surface of the finger to be properly positioned in the chute 86 to cooperate with the nickel when the handle of the door is pulled.

The pawl 211 may be even further modified, as indicated in FIG. 16, by suitably shortening the finger 213 still further, thereby forming pawl 137 which is identical to pawl 141. Thus, when this pawl form is mounted on the adjustment wing 115, it can be positioned in the adjustment slot 123 such that it will cooperate with any desired number of nickels, dependent only upon the position of the shortened finger 213 relative to slot 123.

It will be realized by those skilled in the art, that the number of modifications which may be made to the pawl 211 have been indicated only by way of example here and a wide variety of other modifications may be made to accommodate other coin combinations. For example, in FIG. 8 the pawl 139 is so formed as to cooperate with two quarters.

When necessary to allow a larger number of pawls to cooperate with various coin combinations in the very close quarters which must be utilized close to the locking lever 49, some of the levers may be provided with very slight offsets or bend portions 231 as illustrated in FIG. 8 in order to allow some of the various pawl fingers to overlap in a parallel relationship and to pivot past one another without obstruction. Also, in order to prevent some or all of the pawls from pivoting so far that the counterweight begins to fall over in the opposite direction, a suitable stop means 233 (FIGS. 8 and 16), such as a rivet, may be installed in the counterweight bore 221 so as to come into contact with the outer edge of the adjustment panel and thus limit the degree of oscillation of the pawl.

Of course, it is not to be inferred that other pawls or configurations thereof cannot be used with the present invention. For example, in FIG. 17, a pawl 241 has been illustrated having an elongated finger 243, a foreshortened finger 245, and a counterweight section 247. Such a pawl might be used, for example, in a manner similar to that discussed relative to the pawls illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, for the cooperation of a pawl with a dime and a nickel, as illustrated.

It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be utilized in a wide variety of structures which may be quickly and easily modified in a foolproof manner to change the coin combinations which will allow the machine to be opened. Further, if a permanent change in coin combinations desired is to be accomplished, the simplified structure of the present invention will allow the pawls of the old combination to be quickly and easily removed and new pawls installed. Thus, in many cases, the coin combinations which may be used in the machine can be changed in the field for example, either from daily to Sunday operations by use of the deactivation device, or to alter the price of the newspaper on a permanent basis, such as from 10 cents to 15 cents by changing pawls.

It will be also realized that more than one deactivating device can be utilized so that more than just two prices might be utilized with the machine depending on a given instance. For example, it would be quite conceivable that such a machine might be operated for 10 cents on weekdays, 25 cents on a Saturday, and 50 or 75 cents on a Sunday. In such an event, it would be a fairly simple matter merely to add an additional deactivation system to the machine so that the daily pawls can be deactivated on Saturday and Sunday and the Saturday pawls can also be deactivated on Sunday.

It will be realized by those skilled in the art that the present invention thus presents a true advancement in the art as a result of the vastly increased flexibility which is accomplished simultaneously with a vastly diminished complexity over those structures previously available. It is important to realize that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the structure described and illustrated here since that structure is merely considered to be one presently preferred embodiment.

Claims

Rather, the invention must be considered to be defined only by the claims hereof, wherefore what is claimed is:

1. A vending machine comprising

a housing having

means for supporting a product to be sold,

a door for selectively providing access to the product from the exterior of said display case, and

means for releasably locking said door comprising

a coin selecting and receiving apparatus including

a coin receiving and transfer chute,

pawl means extending into said chute at a predetermined position relative thereto,

a locking bar hingedly connected to said door and extending across the bottom of said chute and having

engaging means thereon for locking said door against being opened and coin seating means thereon, and

means for opening said chute throughout the length thereof to reject the coins therein when said opening means is actuated by said engaging means as a consumer attempts to open said door, unless the proper coinage is positioned between said coin seating and said pawl means.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein

said coin selecting and receiving means also includes

means for adjustably supporting said pawl means relative to said coin seating means in such a relationship as to allow preselected coinage to become wedged therebetween as said door is opened.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein

said coin selecting and receiving apparatus comprises

a central wall member and

a pair of side wall members movable relative to said central wall member, each of said pair of side wall members cooperatively related to said central wall member to define a separate coin receiving and transfer chute.

4. The machine of claim 3 wherein

said central wall member includes

means defining an access opening between said chutes,

said side wall members include

means defining access openings between the exterior and interior of each of said chutes, and

said pawl means include

fingers extending through at least one of said side wall member access openings.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein

said pawl means also includes

secondary finger means extending through said central wall access opening and into the chute on the opposite side thereof whereby said pawl finger is acted upon by coins in one of said chutes and said secondary pawl finger is acted upon by coins in the other of said chutes.

6. A vending machine comprising

a housing,

a door pivotally mounted on said housing in a normally closed position

means on said housing for receiving coinage of predetermined value when a consumer desires to open the door of said vending machine and gain access to the product being sold,

a mechanism mounted on said housing comprising

a coin transfer chute for transferring coinage inserted into said receiving means to a coin seat within said housing and including

a pair of opposed wall means normally biased into coin-guiding relationship;

latch means mounted on said door and having

a coin seat and

finger means thereon,

said mechanism further including

means actuated by said finger means for opening said transfer chute throughout the length thereof to reject any matter therein whenever a consumer attempts to open said door without first having caused proper coinage to be transferred to said coin seat and

means for preventing said finger means from actuating said opening means whenever proper coinage has been transferred to said coin seat.

7. The machine of claim 6 wherein

said preventing means includes

means for forcing proper coinage on said coin seat against said coin seat.

8. The machine of claim 7 including

a plurality of said coin transfer chutes in parallel relationship,

said forcing means including

a pawl having

a plurality of fingers, each so located as to cooperate with coinage in a different coin transfer chute.

9. The machine of claim 7 including

a plurality of said forcing means in said mechanism extending into said transfer chute for cooperation with different combinations of proper coinage.

10. The machine of claim 9 including

means for withdrawing and holding at least one of said forcing means from said transfer chute to prohibit cooperation thereof with a predetermined coinage combination.

11. A mechanism for coin operation comprising

a central member

chute forming members on each side of said central member extending substantially along the entire length of said central member, and having

means for movably mounting said chute forming members on said central member,

means normally biasing said chute forming members into abutment with said central member to maintain said chutes in a closed configuration, and

access means for passage of a pawl into the chute formed thereby from outside of said chute,

lever means mounted on said central member and fixed to said chute forming members,

means for actuating said lever means to move said chute forming members away from abutment with said central member to open said chutes and release all material and coins contained therein throughout the length thereof, and

said central member having

means for passage of a pawl through one of the chutes and into another of the chutes for cooperation with coinage in both chutes simultaneously.

12. The mechanism of claim 11 including

mounting means located on said central member, and

at least one pawl fixed to said mounting means for passage into at least one of the chutes through said access means.

13. The mechanism of claim 12 including

means fixed to said central member and operatively associated with said at least one pawl for selective withdrawl of said at least one pawl from the chute.

14. Apparatus for retaining a door in a closed and locked position unless proper coinage is inserted into the apparatus comprising

a housing,

a face plate mounted on said housing and having

an opening through which coinage may be passed into said housing,

means for transferring the coinage to a coin seating means within said housing,

a locking bar attached to the door and having

coin seating means thereon including

means for biasing the coinage in a direction opposite the direction it was moved by said transfer means, and

locking means on said bar for selectively preventing opening of the door absent the seating of proper coinage on said seating means,

actuating means mounted within said housing for cooperating with said locking means to prevent opening of the door and for opening said transfer means absent the seating of proper coinage on said seating means in response to an attempt to open the door, and

means in said transfer means for holding only proper coinage against the force exerted by said biasing means to actuate said locking means out of a cooperating relationship with said actuating means so that the door may be opened.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein

said holding means comprises

first pawl means formed from a master blank and so configured as to hold proper coinage of a first coinage value combination and

second pawl means formed from the same master blank but having a different configuration so as to hold proper coinage of the same value but a different combination as that held by said first pawl means.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein

said holding means comprises

first pawl means formed from a master blank and so configured as to hold proper coinage of a first value and

second pawl means formed from the same master blank but having a distinct configuration, relative to said first pawl means, so as to hold proper coinage of a second value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 including

means for deactivating at least one of said pawl means.

18. Apparatus for selecting coins comprising

means for accepting coins within a predetermined range of sizes,

means for delivering a coin within such predetermined range of sizes to a coin seating means,

a coin seating means located to receive a coin from said transferring means comprising

product access control means having

means thereon for prohibiting access to a product unless proper coinage is delivered to said coin seating means via said delivering means,

a first receptacle for receiving and retaining a coin,

a second receptacle for receiving and allowing removal of a rejected coin,

means for transferring coinage of proper size within said predetermined range of sizes from said coin seating means to said first receptacle, and

means for transferring all matter other than coinage of proper size from any location within said apparatus to said second receptacle, including

means cooperating with said prohibiting means to open said delivering means throughout the length thereof whenever an attempt is made to operate said product access control means to gain access to the product without first inserting coinage of the proper size.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein

said delivering means comprises

a chute, said chute having

a first wall,

a second wall,

means connecting said first and second walls to one another to allow relative movement therebetween, and

means for biasing said first and second walls into cooperating relationship to control the movement of coinage through said chute.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 including

means mounted on one of said walls for supporting pawl means relative to the other of said walls, and

pawl means mounted on said supporting means for rotative movement into and out of said chute.

21. Apparatus for actuation of a machine upon insertion of coinage of predetermined value thereinto comprising,

means for transporting the coinage from the point of insertion to a stop means, comprising

a first chute and

a second chute

stop means for positioning the lowermost inserted coin on its edge and retaining the remaining coinage on the respective edges thereof in substantially a straight line, and

means cooperating with the uppermost coin in the straight line thereof for preventing movement of the coinage away from said stop means, said movement preventing means comprising

at least one pawl having

a first finger and

a second finger, said at least one pawl being operatively associated with said first and second chutes such that said first finger acts upon coinage in said first chute and said second finger acts upon coinage in said second chute.

22. Apparatus for actuation of a machine upon insertion of coinage of predetermined value thereinto comprising,

means for transporting the coinage from the point of insertion to a stop means, comprising

a first chute and

a second chute,

stop means for positioning the lowermost inserted coin on its edge and retaining the remaining coinage on the respective edges thereof in substantially a straight line, and

means cooperating with the uppermost coin in the straight line thereof for preventing movement of the coinage away from said stop means, said movement preventing means comprising

at least one pawl having

a first finger and

a second finger, said at least one pawl being pivotally mounted relative to said first and second chutes so that said first finger is acted upon by coinage in said first chute to locate said second finger in said second chute to prevent movement of coinage in said second chute away from said stop means.

23. Apparatus for actuation of a machine upon insertion of coinage of predetermined value thereinto comprising

means for transporting the coinage from the point of insertion to a stop means including

a first chute and

a second chute,

stop means for positioning the lowermost inserted coin on its edge and retaining the remaining coinage on the respective edges thereof in substantially a straight line, and

means cooperating with the uppermost coin in the straight line thereof for preventing movement of the coinage away from said stop means, said movement preventing means comprising

pawl means comprising

a first elongated finger and

a second, shorter finger extending from said first finger, said pawl means being operatively associated with said first and second chutes such that said first finger acts upon coinage in said first chute and said second finger acts upon coinage in said second chute.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein

said pawl means includes

counterweight means mounted thereon for maintaining said pawl means in operative relation relative to said first and second chutes.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein

said pawl means further includes

pivot means therein at the juncture of said first finger and said counterweight means.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein

said pawl means further includes

stop means for limiting the pivotability of said pawl about said pivot means.

27. Apparatus for actuation of a machine upon insertion of coinage of predetermined value thereinto comprising

means for transporting the coinage from the point of insertion to a stop means including

a first chute and

a second chute,

stop means for positioning the lowermost inserted coin on its edge and retaining the remaining coinage on the respective edges thereof in substantially a straight line, and

means cooperating with the uppermost coin in the straight line thereof for preventing movement of the coinage away from said stop means, said movement preventing means comprising

pawl means comprising

a first elongated finger and

a second, shorter finger extending from said first finger, said pawl being pivotally mounted relative to said first and second chutes so that one of said first and second fingers is acted upon by coinage in one of said first and second chutes to locate the other of said fingers in the other of said chutes to prevent movement of coinage in the other of said chutes away from said stop means.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said pawl means is formed from a single master blank reconfigured in accordance with the predetermined coinage values which must be inserted into the apparatus before the machine may be actuated.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 including

counterweight means mounted on said pawl for maintenance of said fingers in operative relationship to said chutes and

pivot means at the juncture of said pawl and said counterweight.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 including

stop means for limiting the movement of said pawl about said pivot means.

31. Coin selecting apparatus comprising

material receiving means,

means for sorting material received by said receiving means,

means for transferring material from said receiving means to said sorting means comprising

first chute means and

second chute means, each defined by

a first wall,

a second wall, and

means for biasing said first and second walls into a closed chute relationship, and

means for opening said transfer means throughout the length thereof to reject all matter therein unless the matter includes coinage in predetermined value combinations as determined by said sorting means comprising

means for separating said first and second walls in each chute simultaneously,

means for retaining coinage in predetermined locations in said chutes and

means for preventing reverse motion of coinage in at least one of said chutes if it is of a predetermined value combination but for not preventing reverse motion of coinage in either of said chutes if it is of any other value combination comprising

pawl means having

a first finger mounted for cooperation with coinage of a predetermined value in one of said chutes and

a second finger mounted for cooperation with coinage of a predetermined value in the other of said chutes.

32. A pawl for cooperation with coinage to prevent reverse motion thereof after the coinage has moved past the pawl comprising

a relatively flat body having

a first finger extending from said body substantially parallel to the plane of said body for cooperation with coinage in a first coin chute,

a second, relatively shorter, finger extending from said first finger substantially parallel to the plane of said body for cooperation with coinage in a second coin chute simultaneously with the cooperation of said first finger with coinage in a first chute.

33. The pawl of claim 32 wherein

said second finger is so configured as to form a substantially U-shaped opening with said first finger.

34. The pawl means of claim 32 wherein

said body further includes

means for pivotally mounting said pawl means to allow coinage to pass by said pawl.

35. The pawl means of claim 34 wherein

said body further includes

means for limiting the movement of said pawl means about said pivotal mounting means.

36. Pawl means for cooperation with coins in a pair of parallel coin chutes comprising

a substantially flat body having

a substantially flat first finger extending therefrom substantially parallel to the plane of said body in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto and having

a coin abutment surface thereon for cooperation with coinage in a first chute and

a substantially flat second finger, extending from said first finger substantially parallel to the plane of said body, forming a substantially U-shaped configuration with said first finger and having

a coin abutment surface thereon for cooperation with coinage in a second chute simultaneously with cooperation of said first finger coin abutment surface with coinage in the first chute,

means by which said pawl may be pivotally mounted relative to the first and second chutes to allow coinage to pass by said fingers of said pawl, and

means for cooperation with apparatus for pivotally moving both of said fingers out of their respective chutes for selective deactivation of said pawl to prevent cooperation thereof with coinage.