US3483957A - Large capacity mechanical coin totalizer - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1969 c. T. BREITENSTEIN ETAL 3,483,957

LARGE CAPACITY MECHANICAL COIN TOTALIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 23, 1968 INVENTORS bar/e5 T Brez'fensfez)? 'ranlk 6. M'co/aus Dec. 16, 1969 C. T. BREITENSTEIN ETAL LARGE CAPACITY MECHANICAL COIN TOTALIZER Filed Feb. 23, 1968 J- I I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 62 was INVENTORS Char/a; T Bra Tens fem g an/Q G. /v/ co/aus c. T. BREiTENSTEIN ETAL 3,483,957

LARGE CAPACITY MECHANICAL COIN TOTALIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Um. M, 1969 Filed Feb. 23, 1968 ms 5U ma W T M NNO 3C z w mmm m m 5 5 L 0 r M J C B 3,483,957 LARGE CAPACITY MECHANICAL COiN TOTALIZER Charles T. Breitenstein, Elk Grove Village, and Frank G. Nicolaus, Chicago, lll., assignors to Rowe International, Inc., Whippany, Ni, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 23 1968, Ser. No. 797,554 Int. Cl. Gtl7f 5/06 US. Cl. 194-32 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A large capacity mechanical coin totalizer having a quarter totalizer rack and an associated double-acting pawl and having a nickel and dime totalizer rack, and in which independently mounted holding and escapement pawls are associated with the nickel and dime rack. First interengageable means on the escapement pawl and on a coin feeler crank and second interengageable means on the coin feeler crank and on the holding pawl ensure that only one of the pawls is in tooth-engaging position at any time and that the escapement pawl is normally out of tooth-engaging position. In response to movement of the crank as a coin passes through the totalizer, the escapement pawl moves to stop the rack after a predetermined movement thereof and, upon return of the crank, the holding pawl moves to a position to engage an indexing or escapement tooth to hold the rack in a position to which it has been moved. A pinion driven by both racks totalizes the movements thereof.

Background of the invention Most merchandising machines of the prior art are controlled by a coin mechanism which includes a coin totalizer. One of the widely used coin totalizers of the prior art is described in United States Patent 2,957,568, issued Oct. 25, 1960 to Christian Gabrielsen for a Mechanical Coin Totalizer. In the totalizer shown in the Gabrielsen patent, respective escapement pawls, each having an escapement arm and a holding arm, are mounted for pivotal movement adjacent a quarter totalizer rack and adjacent a nickel and dime totalizer rack for cooperation with sets of escapement teeth on the edges of the racks. Adjacent quarter rack escapement teeth have a spacing five times the spacing of adjacent escapement teeth on the nickel rack. Each of the racks is normally held against movement by one of the arms of the corresponding pawl. In response to passage of a quarter through the mechanism, the quarter pawl is operated to move its holding arm out of engagement with the tooth and to position the escapement arm to catch the released tooth. After passage of the quarter through the totalizer, the quarter pawl is reset so that the holding arm catches the next tooth.

Operation of the nickel and dime escapement pawl is analogous to that of the quarter escapement pawl. A nickel passing through the totalizer actuates the nickel and dime escapement pawl once, while passage of a dime through the totalizer actuates the pawl twice. This latter result follows from the fact that the dime path through the totalizer is such as causes it to strike two feelers associated with the nickel and dime pawl as it passes through the register, while the nickel path is such that it strikes only one feeler associated with the nickel and dime pawl. It will readily be appreciated that the nickel and dime pawl must be sufliciently fast acting as to reset after the dime leaves the first feeler and before it strikes the second feeler.

In response to operation of the totalizer pawls, as coins nited States Patent 0 3,483,957 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 ICO pass through the totalizer the movement of the racks is translated to a pinion which moves through an aggregate distance which is the analog of the sum in coins which has passed through the totalizer. This movement may be used to release a normally locked operating mechanism in a mechanical merchandising machine or it may be used to position a switch to set up the electrical circuit of an electrically operated merchandising machine to permit the machine to be operated.

The coin totalizer described in the Gabrielsen patent is so designed as to be capable of totalizing a sum in coins up to fifty cents. While it operates satisfactorily to achieve this result, with the ever increasing price of the articles of merchandise being sold in merchandising machines, it is desirable that the totalizer be capable of registering a larger sum in coins. It would be possible so to modify the totalizer shown in the patent referred to hereinabove to totalize a larger sum in coins by increasing the lengths of the totalizer racks while retaining the same intertooth spacing. Such a totalizer, however, would not operate satisfactorily on merchandising machines in the field. Stated otherwise, use of such a totalizer would require such corresponding modifications of machines in the field as to render its use entirely impracticable. As an alternative to increasing the length of the totalizer bars, the number of escapement teeth on the racks could be increased resulting in a smaller intertooth spacing so that the same movement of the pinion responsive to the rack movement would correspond to a greater sum in coins. For example, if the number of escapement teeth were doubled, then the same overall movement of the rack would correspond to twice the amount.

While the second possibility noted hereinabove seems to be practical, we have discovered that, in practice, with the escapement mechanism shown in the Gabrielsen patent the operation of the modified totalizer is not satisfactory. Particularly, the nickel and dime pawl mechanism is not sufficiently fast acting to cause the totalizer properly to totalize coins passing through the register. Owing to that fact, either a customer may lose the value of some of the coins deposited in the machine or the machine may register more than the amount deposited in the machine by a customer. Both these results are obviously undesirable.

We have invented a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which overcomes the defects of coin totalizers of the prior art. Our coin totalizer doubles the totalizing capacity of totalizers of the prior art. Our totalizer ensures that a customer receives credit for the full value of all coins deposited in the machine. At the same time it will not register credit in excess of the sum deposited. Our totalizer is readily adapted to installation on machines in the field.

Summary of the invention One object of our invention is to provide a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which overcomes the defects of coin totalizers of the prior art.

Another object of our invention is to provide a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which is adapted to totalize twice the sum in coins as do mechanical coin totalizers of the prior art.

A further object of our invention is to provide a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which ensures that the customer receives full credit for all coins deposited in the machine.

Still another object of our invention is to provide a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which will not give excess credit.

Yet another object of our invention is to provide a large capacity mechanical coin totalizer which is readily adapted to installation on machines in the field.

Other and further objects of our invention will appear from the following description.

In general, our invention contemplates the provision of a mechanical coin totalizer in which independently mounted holding and escapement pawls are associated with a nickel and dime totalizer rack having a large number of closely spaced teeth. A coin feeler crank, actuated once in response to a nickel and twice in response to a dime passing through the totalizer, is interconnected with both pawls so as to hold one of the pawls in toothengaging position when the other pawl is out of toothengaging position and normally to hold the holding pawl in tooth-engaging position. When either a nickel or a dime passes through the totalizer, the crank is operated to move the holding pawl out of tooth-engaging position while permitting the escapement pawl to move to a position at which it catches the next tooth as the rack moves through a distance corresponding to a nickel. When the crank is released, the holding pawl immediately moves back to hold the rack in the position to which it has been moved while moving the escapement pawl out of rack-stopping position.

Brief description of the drawings In the accompanying drawings which form part of the instant specification and which are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a coin register including our large capacity mechanical coin totalizer.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of our large capacity mechanical coin totalizer.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of our large capacity coin totalizer with parts removed.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of our large capacity coin totalizer taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view of our large capacity coin totalizer with parts broken away showing the relative positions of the nickel and di rne bar and pawls as a coin passes through the mechanism.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of our large capacity coin totalizer taken along the line 6--6 of FIGURE 2 and drawn on an enlarged scale.

Description of the preferred embodiment supported on a main frame 12. This frame carries a coin separator and slug rejector 14 of any suitable type known to the art which receives coins in a chute 16 accessible from outside the machine (not shown) in any suitable manner known to the art. The coin separator and slug rejector 14 separates nickels, dimes and quarters while rejecting slugs and delivers the coins to our improved large capacity coin totalizer, indicated generally by the reference character 18, located below the slug rejector. Totalizer 18 produces an aggregate motion of a pin 20 which is an analogue of the sum in coins deposited in the machine. Coins coming from the totalizer 18 are received by an escrow bucket, indicated generally by the reference character 22, of a type known to the art which retains the coins until either a selection is made or until the coin return mechanism (not shown) of the machine is operated. If the coin return mechanism is operated, the bottom 24 of the escrow bucket 22 is tilted in such a direction as to cause coins from the escrow bucket to be delivered to a coin return chute of any suitable type known to the art. On the other hand, if after a sum in coins aggregating at least the purchase price of a desired article has been deposited in the machine by a customer, he operates the delivery mechanism (not shown) and bottom 24 is tilted in such a direction as permits coins from the escrow bucket to fall into a cash box 26 or the 4 like. Since both the structure and operation of the slug rejector and coin separator 14 and the escrow bucket 22 and its associated mechanism are known in the art and do not per se form part of our invention, they will not be described in detail.

Our coin totalizer 13 includes respective coin path forming plates 28 and 30 mounted on frame 12 in closely spaced relationship thereto to form the various nickel. dime and quarter paths. For example, either the frame 12 or the plate 30 is provided with respective bosses 32, 34 and 36 so shaped as to provide a nickel coin path, indicated by the dotted line arrows in FIGURE 2, and .1 quarter coin path, indicated by the dot-dash lines in FIG- URE 2. Similarly, the side of the frame 12 remote from plate 30 or the plate 28 carries bosses which provide a dime coin path, indicated by the broken line arrows in FIGURE 2, on the other side of the frame plate 12 from the nickel and quarter paths.

Our coin totalizer 18 includes a sub-frame 38 secured to the frame plate 12 adjacent the coin track forming plates 28 and 3%. Frame 38 carries a cover plate 40 held in spaced relation thereto by a plurality of bolts 42 carrying spacers 44. Respective spaced guide bosses 46 and 48 on the cover plate 40 guide a respective nickel and dime rack 50 and a quarter rack 52 for vertical sliding movement on the sub-frame 38. A shaft 54 carried by the sub-frame 38 pivotally supports a double acting pawl 56 for movement adjacent the quarter register rack 52. A tension spring 58 extending between pawl 56 and the cover plate 40 biases pawl 56 to a normal position at which an offset 6%) on the upper arm of the pawl is in a position to engage one of a plurality of spaced indexing or escapernent teeth 62 on rack 52. The lower arm of pawl 56 carries another offset 6 which is adapted to engage a tooth 62 to arrest movement downward of rack 52 after it has been released in a manner to be described. A quarter feeler arm 66 secured to pawl 56 for movement therewith carries a finger 68 which extends through a slot 7% in plate 30. A quarter traveling downwardly through the register 18 along the path indicated by the dot-dash arrows in FIGURE 2 strikes the finger 68 to move arm 65 downwardly as viewed in FIGURE 2 to pivot pawl 56 in a clockwise direction against the action of spring 58. When this occurs, offset moves out of engagement with the indexing tooth which it initially engaged to permit the rack 52 to travel downwardly as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 3. At the same time offset 64 is moved toward the rack 52 to a position at which it is engaged by one of the indexing teeth 62 immediately above that tooth it initially engaged.

As a result of the operation just described, passage of a quarter through our totalizer 18 results in an aggregate downward movement of rack 52 which is the analogue of twenty-five cents. This operation is substantially the same as that of the quarter rack coin totalizer in the Gabrieisen patent pointed out hereinabove. The principal and significant difference between the two structures is that we provide twice as many indexing teeth 62 as are provided on the corresponding quarter rack of the Gabrielsen structure. Thus, our totalizer adds up twice as many quarters as does the register shown in the Gabrielsen patent.

The nickel and dime register rack 50 includes a plurality of indexing or escapement teeth 72 having an intertooth spacing which is the analogue of five cents. It will thus be apparent that there are five indexing teeth 72 for every indexing tooth 62 so that the motions of the two racks 5i) and 52 can be correlated to permit totalizing of the aggregate of coins of various denominations passing through the totalizer. From the foregoing it will be clear that our rack 50 has twice as many teeth 72 as there are indexing teeth on the nickel and dime register bar of the totalizer shown in the Gabrielsen patent. At the same time, however, our bar has to move through only half the distance as does the bar of the Gabrielsen patent to register five cents credit. Consequently, the teeth 72 are relatively closely spaced.

We provide a precise escapement mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character 74, for controlling the movement of rack 50 in such a way as ensures that a customer receives full credit for all coins which pass through the register while at the same time preventing registration of excess credit. A first or holding pawl shaft 76 supported on frame 38 receives the hub 78 of the holding pawl 80. A torsion spring 82 on hub 78 engages the pawl 80 and a pin 84 on the frame 38 normally to urge pawl 80 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3, to a position at which it engages an indexing tooth 72 to hold the rack 50.

Another shaft 86 on the sub-frame 38 receives the hub 88 of an escapement pawl 9i) for rotary movement. Shaft 86 also supports the hub 92 of a nickel and dime feeler crank 94. A torsion spring 96 surrounding portions of both the hubs 88 and 92 bears against the pawl 90 and engages a boss 93 on crank 94 normally to urge the pawl 90 to move in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3.

The crank 94 is provided with a first arm 100 which is adapted to engage an offset 102 on the holding pawl 86. A second arm 104 on the crank 94 has a notched portion 106 which cooperates with a notched portion 108 formed on an offset 119 on the end of pawl 90.

From the structure just described it will be clear that spring 96 urges pawl 90 and crank 94 to relative positions at which the notched portions 106 and 108 of offsets 104 and 110 are in engagement, thus normally to cause the elements to move as a unit. Spring 82 normally urges pawl 86 to move in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 to cause offset 102 to engage arm 100 so that pawl 90 is held out of engagement with the teeth 72 and so that pawl 30 normally is in a position at which it can engage the teeth.

A stud or post 112 on the crank 94 receives the loop of a wire, the legs of which extend through a slotted guide boss 114 on the end of the crank and outwardly of the crank to form respective coin feelers 116 and 118. Feeler 116 has a finger 120 which extends through an arcuate slot 122 in plate 30 and through an aligned arcuate slot 124 in the frame 12. Owing to this arrangement, the finger 120 first extends across the path of a nickel traveling downwardly through the totalizer and then extends across the path of a dime traveling downwardly through the totalizer. A nickel or dime coin which engages the finger 120 moves the arm 116 downwardly to pivot crank 94 in a clockwise direction.

Feeler arm 118 has a finger 126 which extends through a slot 128 in plate 31) and through an aligned arcute slot 130 in frame plate 12. A nickel traveling downwardly along its path is diverted away from the finger 126 before it arrives at the location of the finger. A dime traveling downwardly along its path, however, first engages finger 120 to actuate feeler 118 and then strikes finger 126 to actuate feeler arm 118. Thus, the crank 94 is pivoted once in response to passage of a nickel through the totalizer and is pivoted twice in response to passage of a dime through the coin register.

Respective guide flanges 132 and 134 on the cover plate 40 support a totalizer bar 136 for vertical sliding movement. A shaft 138 on bar 136 carries a pinion 140 which meshes with rack teeth 142 on the rack 50 and with rack teeth 144 on rack 52. The lower end of the bar 136 carries the pin which extends through a slot 148 in the frame to a position at which it normally supports either a locking bar structure in a mechanically operated merchandising machine or a switch wiper arm drive bar in an electrically operated machine. Since the details of the operating mechanism do not per se form part of our invention, they will not be described in detail. As is pointed out more fully in the Gabrielsen patent referred to hereinabove, an aggregate motion downwardly of bar 136, which aggregates the analogue of the purchase price of an article being sold, frees the machine operating mechanism. As is pointed out more fully in the Gabrielsen patent, when a purchase is made not only is the escrow bucket 22 actuated to deliver coins to the coin box 26 but, also, pin 20 is actuated to raise bar 136 to move the two racks 50 and 52 upwardly to their initial positions. Similarly, when the coin return mechanism is operated, the bars also are reset.

In operation of our large capacity mechanical coin totalizer, coins deposited in the coin slot forming element 16 first pass downwardly through the slug rejector and coin separator 14 which directs spurious coins out of the totalizer coin path and which separates nickels, dimes and quarters in a manner known to the art. Quarters passing downwardly out of the separator 14 travel along the dot-dash line path illustrated in FIGURE 2. In the course of that movement, the quarter strikes the finger on the end of feeler 68 to pivot the pawl 56 in a clockwise direction against the action of spring 58. First, the holding offset 60 on the pawl 56 moves out from under the escapement or indexing tooth 62 which it engaged and the offset 64 moves to a position at which it will catch the tooth below the tooth originally engaged by the offset 60. After the quarter passes by the finger on feeler 68, spring 58 restores the pawl 56 to its initial position. When that occurs, offset 64 releases the rack 52 and offset 60 moves back to its rack arresting position so as to catch the next tooth above that which it formerly engaged. The overall result is a movement downwardly of rack 52 through a distance which is equal to the intertooth spacing of the indexing teeth 62. This movement of rack 52 drives pinion 140 through a corresponding distance along the rack 50 to produce a movement of the pin 20 through a distance representing twenty-five cents of credit. This operation of the quarter rack is similar to that of the quarter rack of the Gabrielsen patent, One difference is that we provide rack 52 with twice as many indexing teeth 62 having half the intertooth spacing as in the rack shown in the Gabrielsen patent. As a result our totalizer adds twice as many quarters as does that of the Gabrielsen patent.

A nickel coming from the slug rejector and coin separator 14 travels through our totalizer 18 along a path indicated by the dotted line arrows in FIGURE 2. The nickel strikes finger 120. on feeler 116 to pivot crank 94 in a clockwise direction as Viewed in FIGURE 3. The indexing pawl 90 is constrained to move with the crank to a position at which it can engage the indexing or escapement tooth 72 next above that which initially was positioned alongside the pawl. The clockwise movement of the crank 94 also moves the holding pawl in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 to a position out of engagement with the tooth 72 originally engaged thereby. This relative position of the parts with a nickel in engagement with the finger 120 is shown in FIGURE 5. After the nickel leaves the finger, spring 82 immediately causes pawl 80 to snap back into a position at which it will engage that tooth 72 immediately above the tooth initially engaged by the pawl 80. This return movement of the pawl 80 is imparted to crank 94 and pawl by the offset 102 on pawl 80 which engages the arm of crank 94. Thus, not only is the holding pawl 80 moved back into rack stopping position but, also, the escapement pawl 90 is returned to the position shown in FIGURE 3.

In response to the action just described, rack 50 moves downwardly through a distance which is equal to the intertooth spacing of the teeth 72. This movement downwardly of the rack 50 is imparted to pinion by rolling this pinion along the rack teeth of rack 52. The resulting movement of the pin 20 is the analogue of five cents credit. It will readily be appreciated that this movement of rack 50 is only one-fifth of the movement of rack 52 in response to passage of a quarter through the totalizer. Moreover, as compared with the structure shown in the Gabrielsen patent, our rack 50 has twice as many indexing or escapement teeth than does the nickel and dime rack shown in the Gabrielsen patent. The movement of rack St} to establish five cents credit is only half the movement of the Gabrielsen nickel and dime rack to establish five cents credit.

A dime coming from the separator 14 passes downwardly through the totalizer 18 along the path indicated by the broken line arrows in FIGURE 2. This dime first strikes finger 12% of feeler 116 to pivot the crank 94 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 to permit a movement downwardly of rack 59 to establish five cents credit in the same manner as is described hereinabove in connection with the passage of a nickel through the totalizer.

After the dime leaves finger 120 and before it strikes fin er 126 on feeler 118, the two pawls 8t and 90 have returned to their original positions. As the dime moves past the finger 126, the crank 94 is again moved in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 3 to move the holding pawl 80 out of engagement with a tooth 72 and to move the escapement pawl 90 into engagement with a rack tooth. When after the dime has left finger 126 the pawls are restored to their initial positions, another five cents of credit has been registered so that in response to the passage of a dime through the totalizer, the pin 20 has moved through an aggregate distance corresponding to ten cents of credit.

In response to passage of coins through the register in the manner described, our totalizer can establish up to a dollar in credit. Coins coming from the totalizer 18 are received by the escrow bucket 22. When a sum in coins aggregating at least the purchase price of an article has been deposited in the machine, it may be operated to deliver an article of merchandise. When that i done, as is more fully described in the Gabrielsen patent, the escrow bucket is actuated to accept the coins and the totalizer is reset. Alternatively, if a customer wishes his money returned before he makes a selection, he can operate the coin return mechanism to cause the coins to be returned and to cause the totalizer to be reset. From the above description, it will be clear that our totalizer i suificiently fast acting to prevent excess credit from being registered and to ensure against failure to register the full value of all coins deposited in the register.

It is to be understood that while we have shown and described our coin totalizer in connection with registering credits corresponding to passage of nickels, dimes and quarters through the totalizer, we might employ our tototalizer to establish credits for coins of other denominations and even for foreign coins. The only modifications which would be necessary would be such as would correspond to the relationships of the denominations of coin. Owing to the fact that while our totalizer has twice the totalizing capacity as does the totalizer shown in the Gabrielsen patent, it has the same overall movement for full capacity and it is readily adapted for use in merchandising machines in the field without substantial modification of machines.

It will be seen that we have accomplished the objects of our invention. We have provided a mechanical coin totalizer having twice the capacity of mechanical coin totalizers of the prior art. Our totalizer is readily adapted for installation in already existing machines without modification of the latter. Our totalizer avoids giving excess credit and ensures that the customer is given credit for responding to a sum in coins passing through said totalizer, indexing teeth on said member, an escapement pawl. first means mounting said escapement pawl adjacent said member for movement between a first position in engagement with one of said teeth and a second position out of engagement with said teeth, a holding pawl, second means mounting said holding pa wl adjacent said member for movement between a first position in engagement with one of said teeth and a second position out of engagement with said teeth, means for biasing said holding pawl to its first position and for biasing said escapement pawl to its second position and means responsive to passage or a coin through said totalizer for moving said holding pawl from said first position to said second position and for moving said escapement pawl from said second position to said first position.

2. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said member is a rack, said totalizer including a floating pinion mounted for translatory movement in response to movement of said rack.

3. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said member is a rack mounted for movement under the influence of gravity, said totalizer including a floating pinion mounted for translatory movement in response to movement of said rack.

4. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said pawl moving means comprises means forming a coin path and a feeler extending across said path.

5. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said pawl moving means comprises means forming a first coin path for coins of a first denomination, means forming a second coin path for coins of a second denomination, a first coin feeler extending across said first coin path and a second-coin feeler extending across said first coin path and across said second coin path.

6. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said biasing means comprises a spring for biasing said holding pawl to its first position and a coupling between said holding pawl and said escapement pawl.

7. In a coin totalizer as in claim 1 in which said pawl moving means includes a crank, said biasing means including a spring for urging said holding pawl to said first position, means for urging said escapement pawl to move with said crank, a second crank adapted to rotate with said first crank and interengageable means on said holding pawl and on said second crank.

8. In a coin totalizer, an elongated escapement member having equally spaced indexing teeth along an edge thereof, means mounting said member for sliding movement through a displacement which is the analogue of the sum of certain coins passing through the totalizer, an escapement pawl, a first shaft for mounting said escapement pawl adjacent said member for movement between a first position at which it can engage a tooth of said member and a second position clear of said teeth, a holding pawl, a second shaft mounting said holding pawl adjacent said member for movement between a first position at which it can engage a tooth of said member and a second position clear of said teeth, a crank carried by said first shaft, means coupling said escapement pawl to said crank for movement therewith, a spring for urging said holding pawl toward its first position, interengageable means on said crank and on said holding pawl for moving said escapement pawl to its second position under the influence of said spring, means forming a path through said totalizer for coins of a certain denomination, and a feeler on said crank, said feeler extending across said path whereby a coin traveling along said path actuates said crank to move said escapement pawl from its second position to its first position and to move said holding pawl from its first position to its second position.

9. In a coin totalizer as in claim 8 in which said means coupling said escapement pawl to said crank includes in terengageable means on said crank and on said escape- 9 ment pawl and a spring urging said interengageable means into engagement.

10. In a coin totalizer as in claim 8, means forming a second coin path for coins of a second denomination, and a second feeler carried by said crank, said second feeler extending across both said coin paths.

11. In a coin totalizer as in claim 8 in which said member is a rack, a second escapement rack, a floating pinion operatively connected to both said racks, a double acting escapement pawl associated with said second escapement rack, means forming a second coin path through said totalizer for a coin of another denomination and means responsive to passage of a coin through said second coin path for actuating said double acting escapement pawl, said pinion being displaced in response to movement of said racks through a distance which is the analogue of the sum in coins passing through said totalizer.

12. In a coin totalizer, an elongated escapement member having a plurality of equally spaced indexing teeth along an edge thereof, means mounting said member for sliding movement through a displacement which is the analogue of the sum of certain coins passing through the totalizer, an escapement pawl, a first shaft for mounting said escapement pawl adjacent said member for movement between a first position at which it can engage a tooth of said member and a second position clear of said teeth,

a holding pawl, a second shaft mounting said holding pawl adjacent said member for movement between a first position at which it can engage a tooth on said member and a second position clear of said teeth, a crank carried by said first shaft, first interengageable means on said crank and on said escapement pawl, a first spring for urging said first interengageable means into engagement, :1 second spring for urging said holding pawl toward its first position, second interengageable means on said crank and on said holding pawl for moving said escapement pawl to its second position under the action of said second spring, means forming a first path through said totalizer for coins of a first denomination, means forming a second path through said totalizer for coins of a second denomination, a first feeler carried by said crank, said first feeler extending across said first path, a second feeler carried by said crank, said second feeler extending across said first path and across said second path.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner

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