Coin collecting system for parking meters

Claim 1

A coin collecting apparatus for automatically unlocking and opening locked coin boxes and during the opening of said box receiving and retaining the coins therefrom and after the box has been emptied the box is removed from the apparatus and during removal the box is closed and relocked, the collecting apparatus includes a receiving chute into which the locked box is placed and during a reciprocating push in, pull out operation this chute retains the box in its inserted and oriented condition while the box is unlocked, opened, closed and relocked, the chute having an opening associated therewith, said opening in communication with a coin accumulating means, the coin collecting apparatus including: (a) a guide chute having sides and a top and bottom surface providing a slide and guide means of determined extent; (b) an end member fixedly carried in said chute and substantially transverse to the axis of the chute; (c) a movable member carried in the chute and disposed intermediate the open end of the chute and the fixed end member; (d) sliding and guiding means for maintaining the movable member substantially normal to the axis of the chute while at both ends of its limit of movement and during movement of the movable member toward and from the fixed member; (e) biasing means for urging the movable member to and toward the open end of the chute; (f) a barrel cam carried by and with the movable member, said cam having a cam track formed to include a quarter turn helix with one end of the helix track portion continuing with a straight portion in axial alignment with the axis of the cam; (g) a cam follower in association with and in engagement with the cam track and so retained that with the movement of the movable member the barrel cam is rotated to correspond to the radial displacement of the cam track with reference to a theoretical line parallel to the axis of the cam; (h) a key associated with and rotatable with the barrel cam, said key oriented so as to enter the keyway of the lock of the coin box when said coin box is entered into the chute with the door thereof positioned downwardly and whereby when the coin box is entered in the chute the keyway of the lock of the coin box slides along the key to achieve the desired penetration of the keyway; (i) an interlock which includes a lock means which engages the barrel cam to prevent rotation thereof until the interlock is activated and said lock means being removed with and by bringing the coin box adjacent to the movable member and maintaining the coin box thereat during the key insertion into the lock of the coin box after which the face of the coin box as it moves forwardly urges the movable member toward the end member, said movement causing the cam follower to rotate the barrel cam and the associated key to turn the lock and release the door which opens into the opening in the guide wall and remains open during the movement of the cam follower in the straight portion of the cam track, and by and with the biasing means the movable member and coin box is moved toward the open end of the chute, the straight portion of the cam track enables the door to be fully closed by the chute guide means before the helix portion of the cam track is engaged to cause the key and lock to be turned to lock the coin box, and (j) an opening in the bottom guide wall and guide means of the chute, said opening corresponding to a gravitational opening of the door in the coin box to permit the door to swing downwardly and the coins in the box to fall from the open box.