Extruded coin slot device
D United States Patent 1191 Albright 1451 Apr. 22, 1975 EXTRUDED COIN SLOT DEVICE l.647.l80 11/1927 Kindrat 194/1 K [75] inventor: Henry J. Albright, West Des Moines, Iowa :rn nury iranuner-Jiigabert B.EReI:(eves k sszsrant- .\-am1ner-- omas ocovs y Asslgneei f Engineering Des Momes- Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Henderson &amp; StrOm owa [22] Filed: Dec. 10, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 423,109 A one piece extruded aluminum coin slot device includin a lurality of parallel walls and a housing for g P [52] U S Cl 194 K the operating parts of a vending machme. The plural- [51] in} .CI 60&#34; 1/04 y of walls form slots for coins of various Sizes which [58] Field of Search n 194/} E 1 K; 33/3 R are to be delivered by the slots to a particular location 133/3 C 30 l R l A 8 A 1n order to actuate a lever mechanism. Tapered wall end surfaces in each slot tends to prevent coins from [561 CM 131 12156111 13135 &#34;21322 331&#39;s 2Y8; $51.? 113221;; UNlTED STATES PATENTS opening for facilitating easy removal of lodged coins g or other lodged matter in the slots. 1365: 169 1/1921 Egan 1353/3 R 13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures EXTRUDED COIN SLOT DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to vending machines. and more particularly to a coin slot device for a vending machine.  
  In the vending machine field a large volume of highly complicated and sophisticated mechanisms have been developed. The sheer complexity of these mechanisms is one of the most critical problems in this field. The development of vending machines for handling and registering various types and numbers of coins adds further complexity to this art.  
  It has been customary in the prior art to keep all coin slots in a vending machine together because the coins are usually fed into a vending machine at one position and are delivered to a receiving point. or points which are generally in close proximity, at another position. The coin slot devices used for delivering different sizes of coins to a desired location as used in this art has been to merely duplicate a coin slot which would be used on a single coin receiving mechanism and to compound the coin slot aspects of such a device by merely putting several of these coin slot devices together. Such a prior art type of coin slot is usually cast or made from sheet metal, and it is then fastened to another similar coin slot, such as by bolting or welding. Various sizes and numbers of coin slots have been put together in this fashion.  
  The problems with the above mentioned manner of making coin slots in the prior art is obvious, due to the complexity, duplication and the assembly requirements which are needed to produce these devices. Additionally, maintenance of this prior art type of compounded coin slot is difficult. If for example a coin is lodged in one of the slots, the entire coin slot assembly must be disassembled in order to gain access to the lodged coin, in order to remove it and free the passageway of the coin slot.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a one piece coin slot device which provides access to all of several coin slots without requiring the coin slot device to be disassembled. Additionally, the coin slot construction of the present invention tends to prevent coins from lodging in the device because the central portion of each slot is wider than the remainder of the slot to thereby produce a funneling effect for coins passing through the device. The construction of this device is such that the same cross-section may be used along the entire length of the device, to thereby allow the coin slot device to be manufactured by an extrusion process.  
  An object of the present invention is to provide a coin slot device which is capable of receiving various sizes of coins and delivering them to a desired location.  
  Another object is to provide a multi-size coin slot device which can be manufactured by an extrusion process.  
  A further object of the invention is to provide a mu!- ti-size coin slot device having an access opening for freeing lodged coins without disassembling the coin slot.  
  Still another object of the present invention is to provide a coin slot which will have a funneling effect upon a coin without requiring expensive casting or machining of the coin slot device itself.  
  Other objects, advantages. and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawmgs.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 4 is a view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3 and shows a coin passing from the coin slot to a lever of the vending machine registering mechanism;  
  FIG. 5 shows a coin entering the coin slot device and illustrates the funneling effect of tapered end portions 27; and  
 FIG. 6 shows a prior art coin funneling arrangement.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings. a vending machine is indicated generally by numeral 10. A coin sorting mechanism 11, of which several types are well known in this art. is shown receiving a coin and delivering it to the coin slot device 12 of the instant invention. The coin slot device 12 receives the coin in an appropriate slot and delivers it to an appropriate lever below each respective slot. for example lever 13 as shown in FIG. 4.  
  The operation of the credit register mechanism associated with lever 13 and other associated levers (not shown) will be fully understood by reference to copending application Ser. No. 320.304, Filed Jan. 2. 1973 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,626. The credit register mechanism itself forms no part of the present invention, and accordingly will not be referred to in detail. Another credit register mechanism which could be used in combination with the coin slot device of this invention is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,435,933.  
  FIG. I shows an access opening 15 indicated generally by an arrow in FIG. 1. Access opening 15 provides ready access to slots 16 19 of coin slot device 12. The access opening 15 and the coin slots 16 19 are formed by extending walls 21 on oneside of access opening 15 and extending walls 22 26 on the other side of access opening 15.  
  Slot 16 serves as the slot for a nickel coin, slot 17 for a dime coin, slot 18 for a quarter coin. and slot 19 for a 50 cent coin. The lever 13 under the quarter slot 18 is essentially duplicated by levers under each of the other slots l6, l7 and 19. A coin 29, such as the quarter passing through the coin slot as shown in FIG. 4, serves to pivot the lever 13 downwardly as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4. This pivoting of lever 13 causes the credit register mechanism to register an amount corre sponding to the value of coin 29, as will be understood by reference to applicants above said co-pending application. In general, the other parts of the credit register mechanism, as shown generally in the housing of coin slot device 12, is a main registering shaft 28. the movement of which is regulated by register wheel 30 and wheels 31 33.  
  FIG. 5 shows the funneling effect of tapered free edges 27 which are formed on each of the walls 21 26 which serve to form the slots 16 19. This funneling construction is to be distinguished from the prior art coin funneling devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. Coin slot device 34 of FIG. 6 has tapered portions 35 thereon which serve a coin funneling function. A tepered portion 35 as shown in FIG. 6 may be made by casting it that way or by a later machining process. Such a casting process or machining process is expensive and is obviated by the tapered free edge construction as shown in FIG. 5 on walls 21 and 23. The tapered free edge portions 27 serve to make a wider slot opening at the center of each slot to thereby accomplish the aforesaid funneling effect in a structure which can be formed by an inexpensive extrusion process.  
  Brackets 36 and 37 serve to mount the coin slot device 12 to the vending machine. It will be understood that the particular construction of the coin slot device including thecoin slots and the mounting brackets are particularly conducive to being formed by an extrusion process, particularly when the material used is aluminum. Such a construction achieves all of the objects of this invention and eliminates expensive assemblies and expensive machining.  
  Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that. within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.  
 1 claim:  
 i l. A coin slot device comprising:  
 a housing;  
  a first wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end&#34; thereof;  
 a&#39;second wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof, said second wall lying substantially in the same plane as said first wall;  
 : a third wall, connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other i &#39;endthereof. said third wall being spaced from said first and second walls;  
 a fourth wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof, said fourth wall lying substantially in thesame plane as said third wall whereby a first coin slot is formed between said first, second, third and fourth walls; and  
 coin supporting means connected to said housing and spaced from said third and fourth walls to form thereby a second coin slot whereby a coin passing through the second coin slot is guided between said supporting means and said third and fourth walls.  
 2. A coin slot device as defined in claim 1 wherein said coin supporting means comprises:  
 La fifth wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof; and  
 a sixth wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof.  
  3. A coin slot as defined in claim 1 wherein said first, second, third and fourth walls are uniform in crosssectional shape along the length thereof whereby the walls can be formed by extrusion.  
  4. A coin slot device as defined in claim 1 wherein said coin slot device is uniform in cross-sectional shape whereby it may be formed by extrusion.  
  5. A coin slot device as defined in claim 1 wherein said free edges of said first and second walls are tapered in cross-section along the length thereof.  
  6. A coin slot device as defined in claim 1 wherein the free edges of said first, second, third and fourth walls forms an access means for freeing coins which become lodged in said coin slot device.  
  7. A coin slot device as defined in claim 6 wherein said housing is of a one piece construction.  
 8. A coin slot device comprising:  
 a housing;  
 a first substantially planar wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof, said second wall lying in substantially the same plane as said first wall;  
 a second substantially planar wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof, said second wall lying in substantially the same plane as said first wall;  
 coin supporting means connected to said housing and spaced from said first and second walls;  
 a coin slot opening disposed between the first and second substantially planar walls and the coin supporting means, said coin slot opening having at least two substantially planar sides for guiding substantially flat sides of a coin; and  
 wherein the free edges of said first and second walls are thinner than the remainder of said first and second walls.  
  9. A coin slot device as defined in claim 8 wherein said free edges of said first and second walls are of a tapered configuration in cross-section.  
  10. A coin slot device as defined in claim 8 wherein an opening is defined by a space between said support means and said first and second walls, said opening being wider at the free edges of said first and second walls because of the thinner configuration of said free edges with respect to said first and second walls, to thereby serve a guiding function for a coin passing through said coin slot device.  
  11. A coin slot device as defined in claim 8 wherein said coin slot opening is substantially rectangular in cross-sectional shape.  
 12. A coin slot device comprising:  
 a housing;  
 a first wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof;  
 a second wall connected to said housing at one end thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other end thereof, said second wall lying in substantially the same plane as said first wall;  
 coin supporting means connected to said housing and spaced from said first and second walls to form thereby a coin slot whereby a coin passing through said coin slot is guided between said supporting means and said first and second walls, and wherein the free edges of said first and second walls are thinner than the remainder of said first and second walls;  
  5 V 6 a third wall connected to said housing at one end free edges of said third and fourth walls are thinner thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other than the remainder of said third and fourth walls. end thereof: and I 13. A coin slot device as defined in claim 12 wherein a fourth wall connected to said housing at one end the free edges of said first. second, third. and fourth thereof and terminating in a free edge at the other 5 walls forms an access means for freeing coins which beend thereof, said fourth wall lying in substantially come lodged in said coin slot device. the same plane as said third wall, and wherein the