US3367468A - Coin operated lock - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 6, 1968 B. ROBERTS COIN OPERATED LOCK 5 Sheets-Sheet l Fi led Feb. 16, 1966 FIG.

- INVENTOR. BRUCE ROBERTS 8 Bady ATTORNEYS Feb. 6, 1968 B. ROBERTS 3,367,463

com OPERATED LOCK Filed Feb. 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ELLE 4 BRUCE ROBERTS aka 9 7m 80$;

ATTORNEYS Feb. 6, 1968 B. ROBERTS I 3,367,468

COIN OPERATED LOCK Filed Feb. 16, 1966 Z Sheets-Sheet 5 I NVENTOR.

20 BRUCE ROBERTS N '35 27 28 Z424;%7W a 8044;

30 ATTORNEYS United States Patent to The Sany- Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure relates to a coin operated lock which permits a latch bolt to be responsive to the direct thrust of a coin from the outside by a person seeking entry into an enclosure. The pressure of the coin against a cam projection is effective to partially retract the latch bolt thereby conditioning it for subsequent operation without further action other than that of swaying the door on its hinges to gain access to the enclosure. Additionally, the lock is provided with front and back plates and a center plate dividing it longitudinally in two compartments having duplicate bosses on each side so that by reversal of the front and back plates the lock parts may be installed in one compartment or the other thereby adapting the lock for either right or left hand use, i.e., for mounting doors hinged on either the right or left side.

The invention will be described herein relative to a coin operated door lock for public toilet enclosures of such character that subsequent to the insertion of the proper coin, the door is unlocked and may be pulled directly open without the person seeking access having to first rotate or slide a knob to release a latch bolt and once inside, the occupant may, if desired, lock the door against unauthorized entry from the outside by manually rotating a bolt locking lever which simultaneously with locking the bolt, displays an indicia visible from the outside indicating that the enclosure is occupied; however, it will be appreciated that the invention has much broader uses and is also applicable to any situation where access to a space is to be controlled by a lock which can be unlocked without the use of a key.

Heretofore, coin operated or keyless door locks have been available in various forms. One of the most common includes a latch bolt adapted to slide to and fro between its two essential positions designated as the locked position and the unlocked position. The bolt is normally held in the locked position by a spring. The outer end or nose is beveled on one side so as to engage the tongue of a keeper recessed in the door jamb so that upon closing the door, the bolt is depressed by the tongue until coming opposite the lip of the keeper whereupon it snaps into the locked position. The movement of the bolt from the locked position is controlled by an outside knob having a shaft which extends through the lock housing to operate a pawl engageable with the bolt for retracting it to the unlocked position. So long as no coin is inserted in the look, any effort to turn the outer knob and retract the bolt will be resisted. However, when a suitable coin is deposited it passes into a coin chute leading to a coin or check controlled mechanism which is usually a fairly complex arrangement of parts of such character that in one condition, movement of the bolt retraction pawl is blocked preventing movement of the outside knob to unlock the door, but when a coin is positioned therein the mechanism is in another condition releasing the pawl and permitting movement of the bolt to the unlocked position.

Heretofore, coin controlled mechanisms have either depended upon the circumference of the coin being in contact with fingers which converge slightly so as to suspend the coin in an operative position or, on the other ice hand, have employed balanced lever systems which de: pended upon the weight of the coin to upset the balanced condition to prepare the lock for operation. Furthermore, with known prior art coin operated locks, it is necessary to employ an outside knob, the turning or movement of which is dependent upon the condition of a coin controlled mechanism of the type referred to above.

Experience has shown that such prior art locks depend largely for trouble-free operation upon the serviceability of the coin controlled mechanism. For instance, such a mechanism depends upon a complicated arrangement of parts which tends to become insensitive to actuation when initiated by the mere drop of a coin without any other force behind it.

Another problem with such prior art locks is that when the coin is deposited in the coin chute it passes beyond the control of the person seeking access to the enclosure and, if for some reason, the coin is ineffective in conditioning the control mechanism to release the latch bolt for operation, the outside knob remains firmly fixed. As a result, an attendant must be called who has a special key which fits a special lock barrel in the lock provided for such emergencies which is adapted to engage the latch bolt separately thus bypassing the coin controlled mechanism.

Additionally, it is desirable that such locks be adapted for mounting in doors hinged 011 either the right or left side or swingable either inwardly or outwardly but prior art coin controlled mechanisms are generally considered too complicated to admit design of parts which would be subject to such variations in installation requirements.

Accordingly, this invention has overcome these and other difiiculties by the provision of a keyless lock featuring a new and improved coin controlled mechanism which lends itself to the design of reversible parts and is simplified so as to allow the person seeking entry into the enclosure to maintain control of the latch bolt without the use of an outside knob.

In accordance with the broadest aspect of the invention, a keyless lock is provided comprising a lock housing, a coin slot in the housing exposed to persons seeking entry from the outside, a cam projection within the housing extending into the path of the coin slot and a latch bolt responsive to the direct thrust of a coin from the outside against the cam projection for conditioning the latch bolt for subsequent operation.

Further in accordance with the invention, the end of the latch bolt is fashioned with a bevel on the front and rear edges coming to a point at the end and is exposed to engage the lip of a keeper recess in the door jamb when conditioned for operation so that the door may be swung either inwardly or outwardly which movement is effective to fully depress the latch bolt and cause the cam projection to clear the coin slot releasing the coin.

Further in accordance with the invention, the bolt may be locked from the inside of the enclosure and for which purpose a bolt locking knob is provided having a shaft extending through the lock housing and connected to a bolt locking lever on the inside which is movable to cause an obstruction of the camming motion of the cam projection thus blocking any unauthorized thrust of a coin in the coin slot from the outside. To exit from the enclosure, the bolt locking knob is rotated in the opposite direction to cause manual retraction of the latch bolt.

As a further aspect of the invention, operation of the bolt locking lever as aforementioned simultaneously causes a signal to be displayed in a window formed in the lock housing which is visible from the outside to indicate whether the enclosure is occupied.

While the door is open to permit the egress of an occupant, it is possible to rotate the bolt locking knob back to the locked position. To prevent this from removing the enclosure from service, whether done intentionally or not, a vertical projection on the bolt is arranged to engage a dog on the bolt locking lever so as to move the lever in the opposite direction as the bolt is being cycled to and fro as the door is swung shut thus automatically returning the lever back to the unlocked position.

As a further feature of the invention to prevent tampering with the lock, a coin check spring includes a pair of parallel fingers which extend into the coin slot, each finger having a beveled end so as to allow a coin to be inserted in the coin slot but preventing any upward movement of the coin once it has been depressed sufficiently far to condition the bolt for operation.

Additionally, in accordance with the invention, the lock housing includes a center lock plate having duplicate bosses on opposite sides thereof and the arrangement of plates and parts is such that the lock parts are reversible and can be installed on one side of the center plate or the other depending on whether the door is hinged on the right or left side.

One object of the invention is the provision of a keyless lock which is simple in construction, reliable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object is the provision of such a lock which includes the design of parts therefore permitting the lock to be used in installations requiring a door to swing in or out or be hinged on the right or left side.

Another object is the provision of a coin controlled mechanism which is conditioned to open a door by the person seeking access to an enclosure by the direct thrust of a coin to cause retraction of a latch bolt within the door.

Another object is the provision of a coin controlled mechanism as referred to above characterized in that operation of the latch bolt is controlled by the coaction of a camming surface and the coin being inserted.

Another object is provision of a keyless lock particularly suited for public toilet accommodations featuring a coin controlled mechanism which is essentially jam and tamper proof.

Another object is the provision of a toilet enclosure lock of the type referred to including manual locking means operable from the inside of the compartment to insure the privacy of the occupant, which operation is also effective to display a signal visible from the outside of the enclosure indicating that the enclosure is either vacant" or in use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a keyless lock including a coin check feature whereby a coin once inserted in the coin slot to cause retraction of the latch bolt is no longer subject to unauthorized removal by the person seeking access to the enclosure.

These and other objects of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration as shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a view of the inventive coin controlled lock from the outside of an enclosure the privacy of which it is protecting showing the front housing plate partially broken away to illustrate parts of the coin controlled mechanism inside and their position just prior to the insertion of a coin for operating the lock;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the latch bolt incorporated in the lock shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view of the coin controlled mechanism after a coin has been depressed causing the latch bolt to be moved to the unlocked position;

FIGURE 6 is a view of the coin controlled mechanism showing the next sequence of operation; and

FIGURE 7 is a view of the coin controlled mechanism shown in the manual lock position.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same, FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view of a door 10 hinged on the left side so as to open outwardly with respect to an enclosure, such as a public toilet compartment, and containing a coin operated lock 12 designed primarily to prevent unauthorized access to the enclosure until the appropriate coinage is deposited, but also designed to protect the privacy of one utilizing the enclosure as intended. The door 10 closes on a door jamb 14 containing a recess keeper 16 adapted to receive the end or nose 18 of a latch bolt 20.

Coin controlled bolt retraction The latch bolt is slidable to and fro between a locked position and an unlocked position in a channel 21 formed between a center plate 22 and horizontal boss 23 on the inside of lock housing 24 which includes front and back plates 25, 26. A bolt spring 27 biases the latch bolt 20 into the locked position. Referring to the perspective view of bolt 20 in FIGURE 2, the nose 18 is depicted as received in keeper recess 16 outlined by the dotted lines and is beveled on the front and rear edges 28, 29 coming to a point on the end, and in the locked position, extends beyond the side plate 30 (FIGURE 1) and of the lock housing 24 and into the keeper recess 16 sufficiently far so that a small, fiat surface 31 is engageable with a lip 32 of the keeper recess 16.

As shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, a pawl 33 is pivoted at 34 on the front side of the center plate 22 and is received in a slot 35 at the rear of latch bolt 20. A cam projection 36 on the pawl 33 extends sideways into the path of a coin slot 37, the opening 38 of which is accessible in a coin boss 39 mounted on the center plate 22 (FIGURE 3). A vertical abutment 40 on the coin boss 39 cooperates with a cam surface 41 on the end of cam projection 36 to retain a coin 42 of the proper size deposited in the coin slot 37. Vertical projection 43 on the bolt 20 engages abutment 44 on the side plate 30 to stop the travel to bolt 20.

As provided in the invention and as depicted in FIG- URE 5, the latch bolt 20 is retracted from the locked position to an unlocked position by the thrust of coin 42 downwardly against the cam surface 41 thereby forcing the pawl 33 to the left as indicated by the arrow which in turn retracts the latch bolt 20 so that the small, flat surface 31 is withdrawn behind the lip 32 of the keeper recess 16. At this point the door 10 may be swung outwardly by the person seeking access to the enclosure whereupon the lip 32 of the keeper recess 16 engages the front beveled edge 28 on the bolt and completely depresses the bolt (FIGURE 6) against the force of spring 27 which movement clears the cam projection 36 from the path of the coin slot 37 allowing the coin 42 to drop through into a coin cup 45.

Coin check Referring again to FIGURES 1 and 3, the width of the coin slot 37 will not accommodate a coin larger than a certain diameter nor is the clearance between the cam surface 41 and abutment 40 sufiicient to allow a smaller coin to be used fOr moving the pawl 33 to unlock the latch bolt 20.

Attached to the coin boss 39 is a coin check spring 46 (FIGURE 3) having on the lower end a pair of parallel fingers 47 extending forwardly into the coin slot 37. The fingers 47 are spaced apart slightly less than the width of the coin slot 37 (FIGURE 1) and are each beveled on the front edge. If a coin 42 of the proper diameter is pressed into the coin slot 37, the beveled ends of fingers 47 will engage the circumferential edge of the coin causing the spring check 46 to be deflected to the rear as the widest part of the coin passes (FIGURE 3). The arrangement is such that When the coin has been pushed far enough to move the latch bolt 20 to the unlocked position the coin diameter will be below the fingers 47 which will be permitted to return to the initial position in the coin slot 37 thus blocking any attempt to withdraw the coin 42 once the door is unlocked.

Locking To insure the privacy of one using the enclosure, a manually operable inside knob 47 is provided (FIGURE 4) having a shaft 50 which extends through a boss 13 on the back plate 26 and through center plate 22. A locking lever 52 is connected on the end of shaft 50 so as to be rotatable by the inside knob 47. The locking lever 52 includes three axially extending dogs 53, 54, 55 mounted on the ends of radially extending arms 56, 57, 58 respectively. A detent 60 is pivoted at 61 on a boss 63 of the center plate 22 and includes a forked end 62 adapted to receive dog 54 of the locking lever 52. At the opposite end, the detent 60 has a step 65 extending beneath the cam projection 36 of the pawl 33.

Referring to FIGURE 7, the bolt 20 is positively locked from the inside when desired by turning knob 47 so that the locking lever 52 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow which rotation forces the detent 60 to rotate in a clockwise direction bringing the step 65 beneath the cam projection 36 of the pawl 33. In this position of detent 60, any subsequent attempts to thrust coin 42 down into the coin slot 37 will be resisted until such time as the locking lever 52 is returned to the neutral position wherein dogs 53, 55 lie in a common vertical plane.

Accompanying the manual locking operation is a change in the occupancy indication means indicated generally at 69 which includes a window 70 (FIGURE 4) formed in the front plate of the lock housing 24. Behind the window 70 is a transparent pane 71 held by pins 72 projecting from boss 73 on the center plate 22. A signal gate 74 having words vacant and in use printed thereon has parallel rearwardly extending wings 75 on each side which are vertically spaced so as to fit over the boss 73 and slide from side to side in front of window 70. A spring 76 bears against one of the wings 75 and biases the gate 74 to the right, as shown in FIGURE 1, so that the word vacant is displayed in the window 70. When the enclosure is occupied, the door closed, and the locking lever 52 rotated to the locked position (FIGURE 7), the upper dog 55 on radial arm 58 is arranged to engage the lower left wing 75 and slide the gate 74 to the left against the force of spring 76 so as to bring the words in use into view of the window 70. When the occupant wishes to leave the enclosure, he does so by rotating the inside knob 49 so that the locking lever 52 is rotated in the opposite direction to that required for locking whereupon the dog 55 permits the gate 74 to move back to the vacant signal position under the influence of spring 76.

Manual bolt Refraction The latch bolt 20 includes a pair of longitudinally spaced projections 43 which extend upwardly from the top of the bolt in the vicinity of the locking lever 52. Movement of the bolt 20 to the right is limited by engagement of the front projection 43 with the abutment 44 as previously described in which position the rear projection 43 is engaged by the dog 53 of the lever 52 when positioned so that the dogs 53, 55 lie in a common vertical plane as shown in FIGURE 1. By rotation of the inside knob 49 in a direction opposite to that required for locking, dog 53 will bear against the rear projection 43 and retract the bolt 20 permitting egress from the enclosure.

Front projection 43 is spaced sufficiently far from rear projection 43 so as not to interfere with the locking or unlocking movement of the bolt locking lever 52, however, should the bolt 20 be cycled to and fro with the bolt locking lever 52 in the position shown in FIGURE 7, front projection 43 will strike dog 53 returning the locking lever 6 52 to the vertical or neutral position as will be described hereinafter.

Operativn To gain entry to the enclosure, the proper coin 42 is inserted in the coin slot 37 and pushed downwardly against the camming surface 41 of the cam projection 36, causing the pawl 33 to pivot rearwardly and retract the bolt 20 against the force of coil spring 27 so that the lip 32 of the keeper recess 16 is in line with the front beveled edge 28 of the bolt nose 18. In this position the coin 42 is supported between the cam surface 41 and abutment and cannot be removed from the coin slot 37 due to fingers 47 (FIGURE 5). The door is now ready to be swung open by the person seeking entry.

Upon swinging the door, the front beveled edge 28 on the bolt nose 18 engages the lip 32 of the keeper recess 16 forcing the bolt to its fully retracted position (FIG URE 6). This action pivots the cam projection 36 of the pawl 33 out of the path of the coin slot 37 allowing the coin 42 to fall into the coin cup in the base of the lock housing (FIGURE 6). After the door clears the door jamb 14 the bolt is returned to its fully extended position by the coil spring 27.

A person having entered, the door now swings to the closed position and the bolt is cycled and and fro by engagement of the rear beveled edge 29 of the bolt nose 18 with the tongue T of the keeper whereupon the bolt snaps into the keeper recess 16 locking the door. The door is not positively locked, however, and may be operated by the subsequent insertion of a coin from the outside until the person within the enclosure manually operates the inside knob 49 in the manner previously described where the inside knob 49 is rotated so that the bolt locking lever 52 is rotated in the direction as shown in FIGURE 7 which action pivots the detent 60 beneath the cam projection 36 of the pawl 33. The detent 60 blocks any subsequent camming action by an aunauthorized thrust of a coin in the coin slot 37. Movement of the bolt locking lever 52 simultaneously causes the sign vacant to be removed from the window 70 and the sign in use to be displayed, indicating that the enclosure is occupied to persons on the outside. The bolt locking lever 52 will remain in the locked position until manually returned to the neutral position due primarily to the relationship of the lower ear of forked end 62 of detent 60 and the rotational axis of lever shaft when the dog 54 and the arm 57 are in the position shown in FIGURE 7 which establishes an over-center condition for detent 60.

To exit from the enclosure, the inside knob 49 is rotated in the opposite direction to that required for locking causing the locking lever 52 to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 7. In the process, the dog 54 engages the upper ear of the forked end 62 pivoting the detent out of the way of cam projection 36. Continued movement of lever 52 causes the dog 53 to en gage the rear projection 43 and retract the bolt 20'. While the door is thus open it is possible to accidentally turn the inside knob so that the locking lever 62 is in the locked position (FIGURE 7) which, if permitted to remain, would prevent the subsequent use of the enclosure. However, such an occurrence is not allowed to exist long for then the door is released and swung shut, the bolt 20 will automatically be cycled to and fro causing the front projection 43 to engage dog 53 thus tripping the locking lever 52 back to the neutral position so that it is impossible to remove the enclosure from service by this means.

Having now described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different installations and conditions. One such modification, in accordance with the invention, is that certain parts may duplicate features on opposite sides so as to be adapted for use with a door hinged on either the right or left side. For example, referring to FIGURE 2, the bolt 20 includes a slot 35' on the side opposite slot 35' and similarly, the front and rear projections 43 have corresponding projections 43'. Likewise, the center plate 22 divides the upper part of the lock housing into two compartments and includes duplicate bosses 63, 63 and pivots 61, 61' (FIGURE 3). Thus, for the structure identified with a numeral and a prime mark, the intent is to designate that structure which would function identically with that already described only with the parts positioned on the pposite side of center plate 22. Of course, the repositioning of the parts referred to would necessarily be accompanied by a reversal of front and back plates 25, 26.

Moreover, the bolt is fashioned with beveled edges 28, 29 on the nose, the object being to also permit the lock to be used with either an inwardly or outwardly swinging door.

It should be understood that these and other modifications may be visualized by those skilled in the art but that such changes are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A coin controlled lock adapted to latch with a keeper comprising:

a housing providing a coin slot,

a latch bolt mounted to reciprocate in the housing,

a nose portion on the end of the bolt extendable beyond the housing having a nose flat joined by a beveled surface on the end, said nose fiat receivable within the keeper a predetermined distance when the bolt is in a locked position,

pawl means pivotally mounted in the housing engageable with the latch bolt having a cam projection extending into the path of the coin slot, and

abutment means spaced relative to the cam projection in the locked position of said latch bolt for cooperation with a coin of proper diameter to pivot said pawl means partially retracting said latch bolt by an amount at least equal to the width of said nose flat receivable in the keeper to condition the latch bolt for subsequent operation by the camming action of said beveled surface and keeper.

2. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 1 including coin check means having a pair of parallel fingers yieldably positioned in said coin path to permit the passage of a coin to the extent necessary to partially retract said latch -bolt and thereafter prevent unauthorized withdrawal of the coin.

3. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing includes front and back plates and a center plate dividing it longitudinally into two compartments,

duplicate sets of bosses arranged in each compartment to permit installation of certain lock parts in one compartment or the other, and

said latch bolt including means extending into each compartment on opposite sides of said center plate for engagement with said pawl means when installed in either compartment whereby the lock is adapted for reversible use.

4. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 1 comprising in addition a rotatable bolt locking knob having a shaft extending into the housing,

a bolt locking lever connected to the shaft, and

a detent pivoted adjacent the locking lever having one end engageable by the lever and the other extending below the cam projection of said pawl means whereby rotation of the bolt locking knob in one direction causes the detent to pivot into engagement with the cam projection thereby preventing any subsequent camming action by the unauthorized thrust of a coin in the coin slot.

5. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 4 wherein the bolt locking lever comprises a radial arm having an axially extending dog thereon and the said one end of the detent engagea-ble by the locking lever is arranged with respect to the axis thereof to pivot the detent to an over-center locked condition when the bolt locking knob is rotated in said one direction.

6. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 4 wherein the bolt locking lever includes a second radial arm having an axially extending dog thereon and the latch bolt includes a vertical projection thereon, the relationship of the projection and the second radial arm permitting the latch bolt to be retracted manually by rotating the bolt locking knob in the opposite direction.

7. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 6 wherein a second projection on the latch bolt is longitudinally spaced from the first so as to strike the dog of the second radial arm of the bolt locking lever when the bolt is depressed and the locking lever is in the locked position.

8. A coin controlled lock as set forth in claim 6 including a third radial arm on the bolt locking lever having an axially ending dog thereon and means visible on the outside of the housing operably thereby in relationship with the movement of the locking lever to indicate the locked or unlocked condition of the bolt.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,032 8/1919 Webster l9467 1,668,727 5/1928 Nelson et al. 194-59 1,767,622 6/1930 Smith l9454 2,603,334 7/1952 Curren l9459 STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Assistant Examiner.

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