US1563146A - Chute construction for coin-controlled machines - Google Patents

Description

A.MLEARNARD CHUTE CONSTRUCTION FOR COIN CONTBOLLED MACHINES Nov. 24, T925 Filed May 1'7l 1922 -EIB u' bw su l 2 l i 3 v 3 w ,4. d

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Patented Nov. 2-ft, 1925.

v'UNITED STATES PATENT orifice.

ARTHUR Vf. BARNARD, OF NEWTON CENTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHUTE CONSTRUCTION FOR CON-CONTROLLED MACHINES.

Application filed May 17, 1922. Serial No. 561,758.

To all whom t may concer/1t:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR lV. BARNARD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newton Center, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chute Construction for Coin-Controlled Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in coin-controlled machines and more particularly to means for controlling the passage of a coin whereby some of the coins will be conducted to a receptacle within the casing of the machine and other coins returned to a patron,*my improvements being intended for usey with coin-controlled means for scales, but may be employed with other machines in which a controlling part is operated by a coin deposited into the machine.

lVith coin return devices as heretofore constructed, considerable loss to patrons has occurred by reason of the placing of a barrier, such as a. wad of paper, in the coin outlet just above the coin return cup and out of sight of the patron, which barrier would operate to cause an accumulation of returned coins just above the cup instead ofbeing delivered to the patrons. The accumulated coins could afterwards be obtained by an unauthorized person by simply removing the wad or barrier and thus rob patrons of coins which they should have received.

An object of my invention is to obviate the above mentioned defect, of return coin devices as heretofore constructed and to provide a coin passage in which the coin can be viewed by the patron from the time that it enters a visible chute until it has either been discharged into a coin receptacle within the casing of the machine or returned to the patron, and thus prevent the employment of a wad or barrier which could without the presence of such barrier being denoted to the patron.

lVith this and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a coin chute construction and coin return means embodying my imln'ovements. Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure l, and Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

My improved chute construction may be mounted in any suitable manner in the front wall of the casing of a coin controlled machine, such as scales for example, and it comprises a plate l provided at its side edges with longitudinal bars or frame members 2 l'iaving grooves 3 in their inner portions to receive the side edge portions of a glass front plate Sar-said grooves being so located that the glass front will be properly spaced from the back plate l to permit the free passage of a coin through the chute formed by these parts. The back plate l is provided with numerous pins et which extend across the chute to the glass front and cause the coin to travel in a circuitous route through the chute. My improved coin chute is appreciably greater in width than coin chutes commonly employedand it is provided near its lower end and centrally between its side edges with a coin return device. This device may be termed a coin return cup7 and it may consist of a tubular portion 5 which is passed through a suitable hole in the glass front plate and of suliicient length to extend to the back plate 1,-said tubular portion having a circular flange disposed against the outer face of the glass front and may be cemented or otherwise secured thereto. That portion of the tubular part of the coin return cup which extends across the chute space is provided in its upper portion with a slot 6 which communicates with the lower portion of said chute space and is sufficient in size to permit the passage into said cup of a coin.

After a coin shall have passed the device in the machine which it has operated, it will fall directly into the upper end of my improved chute and travel downwardly through the same until it reaches the lower end portion, from which it may escape by passing through the open lower end of the chute and be directed by any suitable means to a coin receptacle within the casing of the machine. Some of the coins may so travel through the chute that they will fall into the coin return cup. It is evident that by locating the coin return cup with respect to the glass front of the chute as above de- Seribed, it will be impossible to choke the eoin eup with en invisible barrier Which might, in other constructions, cause an acenmulation of coins invisible to the patron, and furthermore should Sueh choking of the eoin eup be attempted, the patron could easily see through the glass front Whether any eoin would fall upon such barrier and be permitted to escape through the eoin re ceptaele witl'iin the easing :of the machine.

'Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to Secure by Let- `ters-Patent, is;

l. A coin .chute for coin-controlled mw ehines having n traneparent front extending to the lower terminal of the chute, and a tubular coin return member inserted through the transparent front above the lower end thereof whereby an obstruction in said eoin return member 1will be visible at the front.

2. A coin ehute for coin-controlled muehines having a transparent front extending to the lower terminal of the chute, and u straight tubular coin return member inserted axially through the transparent front above the lower end thereof whereby un obstruction in the coin return member Will be visible at the front of the chute, the rear end of the eoinreturn member abutting the bach of the chute and there being?y u Coin-receiving opening in the top of the member between the front and bueh of the Chute.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification

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