US2947186A - Coin slide actuated timer - Google Patents

Description

1960 H. GREENWALD 2,947,186

' COIN SLIDE ACTUATED TIMER Filed June 3. 1958 FIG.6

INVENTOR. Harry Greenwald ATTORNEY colN SLIDE ACTUATED TIMER Harry Greenwald, Brooklyn, N.Y., assignor to H. Greenwald Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporation iFiled June s, 1958, Ser. No. 739,506

9 Claims. c1. 74-107 This invention relates to coin controlled timer cycled appliances and, more particularly, to a novel combination of a coin controlled slide and a cycle timer whereby a smoother action of the starting of the timer cycle and a more compact assembly of a coin control to the appliance can be obtained without any sacrifice in the range of coin controlled timer operation.v

Coin controls are usually installed on commercial appliances, such as clothes washers and driers, after these :appliances have been. assembled and shipped, although some appliances are particularly designed for commercial usein laundries and the like. The coin control is enclosed within a housing mounted on the appliance and preventing access to the timer control knob, the housing usually having a locked coin drawer secured therein although sometimes a coin receptacle is located in spaced relation to the coin control.

The coin control includes a coin slide having an operator on its inner .end cooperable with cam means on the end of the timer shaft, coin controlled operation of the coin slide resulting in rotation of the timer shaft to a selected cycle start position. The direction of reciprocation of the coin slide is substantially perpendicular to the axis of the timer control shaft, the inner end of the coin slide moving over the upper end of the timer shaft during reciprocation ofthe slide to start the cycle of the appliance.

I This arrangement of the coin slide and the timer shaft necessitates a relatively bulky enclosure for the coin control, which projects substantially from the outer surface of the appliance. It is particularly difficult to provide a neat .appearing coin control housing on appliances having sloping forward walls on which the appliance control knobs are provided.

In accordance with the present invention, a compact, neatappearing housing enclosing a coin control and timer shaft is provided'by mounting the coin slide and thetimer shaft in aligned relation so that the direction of reciprocation of the slide is substantially coaxial of the timer shaft. Suitable means, such as a roller, on the inner end of the coinslide engages a cylindrical cam on the timer shaft, moving along an oblique edge of the cam to rotate the timershaft. By suitable selection of the length of the cylindrical cam oblique surface, a desired range of rotation of the timer shaft may be obtained. For example, 270 degrees of rotation of the timer shaft may be obtained without the cylindrical cam interfering with return or outward movement of the coin slide.

,In addition, by arranging the coin slide and timer shaft in substantially aligned relation, a substantial reductionin the overall dimensions of the coin control is obtained, sufficient to permit mounting the coin control within the appliance. As anadded feature, the combination ofa roller moving-alonga truncated cylinder cam results in much smoother operation of the coin control in starting the appliance.

For an understanding of the invention principles, ref

erence ismade to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of the slide and timer combination of the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are elevation views of the cylindrical cam, taken at right angles to each other;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the cylindrical cam; Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of the inner end of the coin slide; and

"apertured front. or outer end wall 11 in which the coin slide assembly is mounted, the front or escutcheon plate 21 of the assembly being secured to wall 11 and closing aperture 12 therein. A coin receiver 13 is mounted on lower wall 14 of housing 10 and has a locked coin drawer v 15 closing an aperture in Wall 11 below aperture 12.

Coin receiver 13 extends upwardly to guide track 22 of slide 20, the upper open end of receiver 13 being aligned With a coin discharge opening (not shown) in track 22. When a coin is inserted in slide 20 and the slide is pushed inwardly to the position of Fig. 1, the coin drops into receiver 13 and falls into coin drawer 15. The lattermay; be unlocked and the contents removed at periodic intervals.

"22 reciprocably supporting a slide 20 having a coin receiving opening. Slide 20 is manually pushed inwardly 1m initiate operation of timer 3S, and is: retracted outwardly to the coin-receiving position by a spring 23 connected between a bracket or post 24 on slide 20 and a bracket 26 on track 22.

In accordance with a preferred form of the present invention, a bracket 27 is secured to extend transversely of the inner end of slide 20 and has a depending wall 28 in which is secured 'a shaft 31 rotatably supporting a roller 30 extending transversely beneath the inner end of the coin slide. Roller 30, or its equivalent, is the operator for cam operatively connected to shaft 36 of timer 35.

Timer 35 is preferably mounted against the rear or inner end wall 16 of housing 10, and its shaft 36 projects horizontally toward slide 20 and is substantially aligned with the latter. I A coupling sleeve 37 on the projecting end of shaft 36 secures an extension shaft 38 of the cam assembly 40 in coaxial alignment with shaft 36 to rotate as a unit therewith.

Shaft'38 has immovably secured thereon a pair of axially spaced washers, collars or flanges 41 serving to axially position a support bracket 45 for cam 50, bracket 45 being rotatable or oscillatable relative to shaft 38. Bracket 45 has a bent end 43'extending overa collar 44 secured on the end of shaft 38 and non-rotatable relative to the shaft. Bent end 43 engages a radial pin 46 'on col1ar44 and is biased thereagainst by a coin spring 47 embracing shaft 38 and having its ends connected to bent end 43 and pin 46.

The outer end of bracket 45 has an arcuate flange 48 extending in both directions from arm 42 and concentric with shaft 38. Flange 45 'is Welded or'brazed to the inner surface of'cam 50, which is a truncated cylinder having an oblique cam edge 55 of a length pre-set in accordance with the desired degree of rotation of shafts 36 and 38 -,-tual,practice,'1cam 50 is either cut from .a tube or is a piece of plate bent to cylindrical form, and has an arcuate extent of the order of 45 degrees. While cam edge 55 is oblique to the axis of shafts 36, 38, the op posite edge of cam 50 preferably is parallel to this axis for operational and constructional reasons.

The operation is as follows. When a coin is'inserted in slide 20 and the slide pushedin to the position of Fig. 1, the coin drops into coin drawer 15 and roller 30 engages and rides along cam surface 55. Thisrotat'es cam 50 clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 4, and bent end 43 engaging the pin 46 of collar 44 rotates shaft .38 clockwise. Through coupling 37, timer shaft 36 is moved clockwise to the cycle start position and, with the timer motor energized, shaft 38 is continued in its clockwise rotation until the cycle stop position is reached in which cam 50 occupies the position of Fig. 1. i

Spring 47 prevents damage to the. timer should roller 30 be inadvertently positioned in the path of back edge 51 of cam 50. In such case, spring 47 nnwinds or uncoils to permit continued rotation of the timer shaft 36. When the obstruction is removed, spring 47 rewinds to reengage bent end 43 with pin 46.

An important feature of the invention is that the torque exerted on shaft 38 by roller 30 moving along surface 55 is always applied at the time radial distance from shaft 38 throughout the entire length of the inward movement of slide 20. Thus, this torque, or the reaction thereto, is uniform at all times. By contrast, where the coin slide moves at right angles to the timer shaft and acts against a cam thereon, the effective radius of the force applied decreases constantly so that the reaction to movement of the coin slide increases with the inward movement of the slide. This detracts substantially from the smoothness of operation of the slide, whereas, with the present invention, the operation is uniformly smooth throughout the stroke of the slide.

As an example of the overall compactness of the coin control of the present invention, the dimensions of a known coil control embodying a coin slide moving perpendicular to a timer shaft are long times 7 /2" high times 3 /8" wide. With the substantially aligned relation of the slide and the timer shaft, as in the present inventions, the corresponding dimensions of the coin control are 7%" long times 6%" high times 3%" wide.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise Without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. Coin control mechanism for a cycle timer of an electrically controlled appliance comprising, in combination, a cycle timer having a control shaft projecting therefrom; a coin slide assembly including a coin slide mounted for reciprocation toward and away from said shaft in substantially longitudinal alignment with the latter; a cylindrical section cam mounted to rotate with said shaft coaxially therewith and having a cam edge oblique to the axis of the shaft; and an operator mounted on said coin slide and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of said slide toward said shaft, to rotate said shaft through a pre-set angle.

2. Coin control mechanism for a cycle timer of an electrically controlled appliance comprising, in combination, a cycle timer having a control shaft Projecting therefrom; a coin slide assembly including a coin slide mounted for reciprocation toward and away from said shaft in substantially longitudinal alignmentwith the latter; a cylindrical section cam mounted to rotate with said shaft coaxially therewith and having a cam edgeoblique to the axis of the shaft; and a roller rotatably mountedto extend transversely of said coin slide and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of said slide toward said shaft, to rotate said shaft through a pre-set angle.

3. Coin control mechanism for rotating the control shaft of a cycle timer comprising, in combination, an

extension shaft; a coupling securing said extension shaft coaxially and non-rotatably to the timer shaft; a coin slide assembly including a coin slide mounted for reciprocation toward and away from said extension shaft in substantially longitudinal alignment with the latter; a cylindrical section cam mounted to rotate with said extension shaft coaxially therewith and having a cam edge oblique to the axis of the extension shaft; and an operator mounted on said coin slide and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of said slide toward said shaft, to rotate said extension shaft through a pre-set angle.

4. Coin control mechanism for rotating the control shaft of a cycle timer comprising, in combination, an extension shaft; a coupling securing said extension shaft coaxially and non-rotatably to the timer shaft; a coin slide assembly including a coin slide mounted for reciprocation toward and away from said extension shaft in substantially longitudinal alignment with the latter; a cylindrical section cam mounted to rotate with said extension shaft coaxially therewith and having a cam edge oblique to the axis of the extension shaft; and a roller rotatably mounted to extend transversely of said coin slide and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of said slide toward said shaft, to rotate said extension shaft through a pre-set angle.

5. Coin control mechanism for rotating the control shaft of a cycle timer comprising, in combination, an extension shaft; a coupling securing said extension shaft coaxially and non-rotatably to the timer shaft; a coin slide assembly including a coin slide mounted for reciprocation toward and away from said extension shaft in substantially longitudinal alignment with the latter; a bracket rotatable on said extension shaft; interengageable stop means on said bracket and said extension shaft for rotating the latter when said bracket is moved in one angular direction; a cylindrical section cam secured to said bracket coaxially with said extension shaft and having a cam edge oblique to the axis of the extension shaft; and an operator mounted on said coin slide and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of said slide toward said shaft, to rotate said extension shaft through a pre-set angle in such one angular direction.

6. Coin control mechanism as claimed in claim 5 including means biasing said stop means into engagement with each other.

7. Coin control mechanism as claimed in claim 5 in which said stop means comprises a collar fixed to said shaft; a pin projecting from said collar; and a bent end of said bracket engageable with said pin.

8. Coin control mechanism as claimed in claim 7 including a coil spring embracing said shaft and having its ends connected to said pin and said bent end of said bracket.

9. Apparatus for coupling a reciprocable element to a rotary element having its axis aligned with the direction of reciprocationof the reciprocable element, said apparatus comprising a cylindrical section cam mounted to rotate with the rotary element coaxially therewith and having a cam edge oblique to the axis of the rotary element; and an operator mounted on the reciprocable element and engageable with said cam edge, upon movement of the reciprocable element toward the rotary element, to rotate the rotary element through a preset angle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 441,536 Cornell Nov. '25, 1870 1,198,437 Grover Sept. 19, 1916 1,578,655 Goggins Mar. 30, 1926 2,102,372: Mills Dec. 14, 1937 2,664,330 Schupp Dec.29, 1953 2,800,806 Sangster July 30, 1957 72,828,636 Hall Apr. 1, 1958

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