Vending machine mechanism housing and armor protection therefor

A coin mechanism housing comprising

• a body having
• a plurality of substantially closed sides,
• a closed top,
• a closed bottom,
• an open side between said top and bottom and between two of said substantially closed sides, and
• bracket means forming a flange with a shackle-receiving aperture therein extending from said body,
• a cover having
• a plurality of substantially closed sides, each longer than said closed sides of said body,
• a closed top,
• an open bottom,
• an open side between said top and bottom and between two of said substantially closed sides,
• flange means extending into said open side of said cover from said closed top thereof for preventing relative movement between said cover and said body when the former is installed upon the latter, and
• plate means fixed to one of said closed sides of said cover near said bottom and providing
• a shackle-receiving aperture therein positionable in coaxial alignment with said body bracket aperture when said cover is installed upon said body.

In a vending machine having a consumer-openable product access door and a latching means attached to said door to prohibit access to the product until the consumer has paid a required sum, the combination of

• a housing comprising
• a body attachable to said machine for supporting a coin sorting and control mechanism in fixed relationship to said door and its latch means in the closed position of said door, said housing including
• means forming three substantially closed and one substantially open side,
• means forming an enclosing top and bottom for said body,
• means for receiving a latch means attached to said product access door for selectively releasable cooperation with a coin sorting and control means in said body, and
• means for receiving coins into said body, for delivery to a coin sorting and control mechanism, when inserted thereinto by a consumer
• a cover comprising
• means for enclosing said one substantially open side of said body and including a cap plate and a flange,
• means for mounting said cover on said body such that said cap plate and flange are received over said top of said body, and
• means for fixing said cover to said body with a padlock, and
• a coin storage means releasably mounted in said body so as to receive coins thereinto from a coin sorting and control mechanism mounted in said body, and
• means in at least one of said body and said coin storage means for preventing removal of coins from the latter through said latch receiving means.

A machine for vending a product through a coin-released access door comprising

• a housing attachable to the machine and lockable against unauthorized access to the interior thereof,
• means in said housing for receiving coins inserted into said housing and having
• means for opening said access door and delivering the coins to a coin storage means in said housing when a correct value of coins has been inserted into said housing and
• means for preventing opening of said access door and for rejecting coins to a coin return slot when an incorrect value of coins has been inserted into said housing,
• coin storage means in said housing for retaining coins which have been inserted into said housing for opening of said access door,
• means for preventing unauthorized removal of coins from said coin storage means comprising
• means fixed in said housing,
• at least one baffle plate intermediate said coin receiving means and said coin storage means and
• means pivotally mounting said at least one of said baffle plate for movement thereof into sealing contact with said means fixed in said housing to positively close said coin storage means when said machine is overturned, and
• said housing including means having a plurality of walls and an upper cap plate and flange and a lower plate-like wall portion forming a cover,
• a body member forming another part of said housing and receivable in said cover such that the upper end of said body is positioned beneath said cap plate and said flange extends over a portion of said body,
• said body including a lower plate member alignable with one wall of said cover when said body is received in said cover,
• each of said lower plate members and said one wall including means to receive a locking device,
• protection means including a slot which receives said lower plate member and said one wall such that a locking device may be received therein and protected thereby.

A coin selection and control apparatus comprising

• a coin chute for receiving a plurality of coins in an edge-to-edge straight-line relation;
• a first means for contacting the uppermost coin in said straight-line relation to prevent upward movement of the coins within said chute;
• a second means for contacting the uppermost coin in said straight-line relation to prevent upward movement of the coins within said chute;
• control means to deactivate said first means or said second means such that either the first means or the second means is selected for contact with the coins in said chute;
• the first means providing acceptance of a different coin combination by the chute than said second means such that the mode of operation of said apparatus is determined by the means selected by said control means for contact with the coins in the chute;
• locking means for actuation of said control means to vary the mode of operation of said apparatus such that the apparatus is locked into a selected mode of operation by the locking means;
• said locking means being joined to said control means through a rotatable eccentric whose position is varied by the locking means, a link member having one end connected to said eccentric and a linearly movable control rod having one end connected to said control means and its other end connected to the other end of said link member, and
• said link member being connected to said linearly movable control rod through a loose connection which permits variation in the angular position of the link member while preserving the linear movement of the movable control rod,
• whereby the position of the control means is accurately determined by the linear movement of the control rod while the actuation of the control means is determined by the rotational position of said eccentric.