Coin chute for vending machine

Claim 1

In a coin operated vending machine having a coin receiving slot and a remotely positioned coin receptor for counting and accumulating deposited coins and their values, a coin chute for gravitationally conveying coins from the coin slot to the receptor, comprising: a drain means defined by a plurality of parallel spaced, vertically disposed wall members located immediately beneath the coin slot and extending rearwardly and downwardly therefrom, the outer edges of said walls remotely of said coin slot acting in concert to form a substantially open bottom wall portion for the coin chute; a backing plate mounted opposite the coin slot and over the upper regions of said wall members in spaced relation thereto to form a generally vertical coin receiving chamber directly behind and below the slot, said backing plate being provided with an operationally horizontally disposed drip bead extending inwardly of said chamber and effective to intercept a flexible tube inserted through said slot and direct the same toward said drain means, and a curvalinear extension chute means communicating with the lower end of said chamber and the upper end of the receptor, said chute means extending rearwardly and downwardly from said chamber in the lower regions of said wall members and having a lower open end communicating with the receptor for delivering coins thereto.