Alternating feed for coins or the like

Claim 1

In apparatus for handling coins or other disc-like objects having a minor thickness dimension and a generally annular edge defining a major diameter dimension, the improvement of which comprises means operable independently of the relative weights of the individual coins for alternately feeding successive ones of said coins from a common inlet to a pair of reception paths, said means comprising: an assembly having a pair of opposed, upright wall sections, certain opposed portions of said sections being horizontally spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness but less than the diameter of the coins to be handled to present said common inlet path through which the coins move edgewise; a pair of elongated coin-control units, each having a coin actuatable operating finger at one end and at least one of the pair having a coin deflector at its opposite end; a pivot shaft carried by one of said sections and mounting said units in side-by-side relationship generally above said reception paths fOr individual swinging movement of the units about a common axis extending generally parallel to said sections, said one unit being mounted intermediate its opposed ends on said shaft for swinging of its finger and deflector alternately toward and away from the other of said sections to shift said deflector into and out of a position within said inlet path in which the deflector blocks entry of a coin to one of said reception paths and directs the coin to the other of said reception paths, said finger of the one unit being located below the deflector of said one unit and being responsive to the entrance of a coin into said one reception path when the deflector of said one unit is out of its blocking position for swinging the deflector into said position, the other of said units being mounted on said shaft for swinging of its finger toward and away from said other section for receiving the operating impact of a coin deflected by said one unit into said other reception path; means yieldably biasing said deflector of said one unit away from said other section and out of said blocking position but incapable of counteracting the force of a coin impacting the finger of said one unit; an actuatable latch on said one section located between said units, physically separate from both of the latter, and shiftable independently thereof into and out of a latching position; a catch on said one unit for receiving said latch in its latching position when the deflector of said one unit is in said blocking position to releasably hold the deflector in said blocking position; means on said other unit disposed to engage and shift said latch out of said latching position to free said one unit in response to the actuation of the finger of said other unit by a coin entering said other channel; and means yieldably biasing said latch engaging and shifting means of said other unit out of actuation of said latch but incapable of counteracting the force of a coin impacting the finger of said second unit.