US2877637A - Locked coin drawer - Google Patents

Description

March 17, 1959 H. GREENWALD 2,877,637:

Locxrzp com DRAWER Filed March 14. 1956 21 P 24 A12 l 1 1 FIG.1

INVENTOR. Harryv Greenwald l? Maw.

ATTORNEY 2,877,637 ce Patented Mar. 17, 1959 LOCKED COIN DRAWER Harry Greenwald, Blanvelt, N. Y., assigner to H. Greenwald Co. Inc., Maspeth, N. Y., a corporation This invention relates to coin controlled or operated apparatus and, more particularly, to a novel lock coin drawer or receptacle for such apparatus.

Coin controlled vending machines and like coin controlled devices have long been known. In recent years, however, the number and types of coin controlled devices has increased tremendously with the advent of coin controlled laundry devices, hot and cold food dis pensers, travel insurance validating machines, baggage lockers, and the like.

Among the advantages of such coin controlled apparatus is the reduction in man hours required for their care and operation as compared to manually attended, non-automatic service and dispensing installations. However, one necessary manual operation is that of collecting coins from the devices at regular intervals. In order to take full advantage of the potential economies, it is desirable that the coin collection time per unit be kept at a minimum to permit one man to service a large number of machines in a given time. Present arrangements for removing coins from coin operated or controlled devices involve a considerable amount of time and effort. Usually, a door must be unlocked for access to a coin compartment, after which the coins may be extracted from the compartment, followed by closing and locking of the access door. The locking arrangements have necessarily been of a complicated nature to inhibit unauthorized access to the coin compartment.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel, readily removable locked drawer is provided at the coin receptacle. The front panel of this door carries a sturdy lock having a shaft which can be turned when the proper key is used in the lock. This shaft has secured thereto a coaxial extension shaft carrying a pair of pins in a manner similar to a bayonet base lamp bulb.

The rear wall of the box has a hole therein coaxial -with the lock. When the coin drawer is inserted in its topening, a bayonet type socket secured to an internal member of the coin device extending through the hole :to engage the extension shaft. A quarter turn of the key draws the extension shaft into the bayonet socket :and locks the drawer tightly in its opening. To collect coins, the collector merely inserts the key in the lock, gives it a quarter turn, pulls out the drawer, empties the coins into a receptacle, re-inserts the drawer, and turns the key a quarter turn to again lock the drawer in place. The whole operation requires only a fraction of the usual unit collection time.

For an understanding of the invention principle, referyence is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a partial vertical sectional view of a coin device provided with a coin drawer according to the invention, the drawer being shown unlocked;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. l with the drawer locked; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view with the drawer unlocked and partly withdrawn.

Referring to the drawings, a coin operated device 10 is somewhat schematically illustrated as having a front wall 11 and an internal member 12, such as a partition or brace, in spaced, preset parallel relation to wall 11. Wall 11 is illustrated as supporting a coin chute 15 arranged to discharge coins into a coin drawer 20 removably positioned through an opening 13 in wall 11. In the usual manner, coin chute 15 may be provided with coin registering means and slug detecting means, such means being well known and hence not illustrated as they formno part of thepresentinvention. ,Chute 15 is arranged'to discharge coins into drawer 20.A

The coin 'drawer 20 includes a front wall 21 substan- -tiallyoverlapping opening 13. Wall 21 is integralv with or integrally united to flanges 22 on side walls 23, and also to a bottom wall 24. Side walls 23 have rear flanges 26 extending toward each other with the space therebetween closed by a back wall 27 integral therewith and with bottom wall 24. For a purpose to be described, wall 27 has a central aperture 28 therein.

A lock 30 of any desired construction is mounted centrally through front wall 21 and operated by a key 25. In the usual manner, lock 30 has a stub shaft 31 which normally would have a latch or keeper secured thereto for operation when the proper key 25 is used in lock 30. However, in accordance with the invention, stub shaft 31 has a sleeve element 32 telescoped thereover and riveted, welded or brazed thereto.

A shaft 33 is secured in the rear end of sleeve element 32 and has bayonet pins 34 projecting therefrom. Pins 34 are arranged to engage in bayonet slots 36 in a tubular socket 35 secured to member 12 by means of a threaded extension 37 threaded through member 12 and receiving a lock nut 38. Socket 35 is axially aligned with shaft 33 and the relative lengths and positions of the shaft and socket are such that, with pins 34 fully engaged in slots 36, wall 21 is drawn firmly against wall 11 to lock drawer 20 in position. This condition is shown in Fig. 2. Longitudinal adjustment of socket 35 relative to shaft 33 is effected by loosening nut 38 and threading extension 37 in or out through member 12. When the adjustment is correct, lock nut 38 is retightened.

To unlock drawer 20, key 25 is inserted in lock 30 and given a quarter turn. This releases pins 34 from slots 36 so that drawer 20 may be withdrawn, as in Fig. 3, and emptied. The drawer is then replaced, as in Fig. l, and key 25 given a reverse 1A turn to draw pins 34 fully into slots 36. This not only locks drawer 20 in position but also supports the drawer in proper relation to chute 15.

While a specic embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principle, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principle.

What is claimed:

l. In a coin operated device having an outer wall, a coin drawer insertable through an opening in said wall and having a front panel engageable therewith in the fully inserted position of said drawer; a lock mounted through said panel and having a shaft rotatable by a key inserted in the lock; an extension shaft secured coaxially for rotation with said lock shaft and having at least one radial pin projecting therefrom; and a bayonet socket immovably secured within said device in alignment with said extension shaft, and having at least one bayonet slot extending inwardly from the open outer end of said socket and curving inwardly and circumferentially of the wall of said socket, said slot receiving a pinon said shaft when said drawer is inserted through said opening; whereby, when thenfkeyV isv turned inw-oneNAAM direction, said pin will be drawn into said slot to draw said ydrawer to the fully inserted position, reverse rotation of the keymov'inglsaid-pin out ofr saidrslot to vmove said front drawer panel outwardly fromzsaid outer wall and to release saidl drawer for removalfrom said opening; said socket Abeing securedy `to an internalrrnember of said device `spaced a"preset distance romsaid outer T wall.

2. In a coin *operatedv device as claimed in claim l in which sad'shaft has a pair of vdiametrically opposite pins engageable in a fpair of bayonet slots in said socket. 3. In a-coin operated device as claimed in claim v1 in which saidextension shaft is secured to a sleeve elementsecured over said lock shaft.v

Refe'arencies Cited in the le of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 756,839' Edmonds Apr. 12.11904

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