US3126995A - Parking-meter - Google Patents

Description

March 3l, 1964 H. KlssINGER ETAL v3,126,995

PARKING-METER Filed Jan. 2, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. l.

INVENTORS HEINRICH KISSINGER FRIEDRICH ARZT ALBERT KECK ATTORNEY.

March 31, 1964 H. KIsslNGl-:R ETAL PARKING-METER FiledJan. 2, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEY.

March 31, 1964 H. KISSINGER ETVAL PARKING-METER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 2, 1962 INVENTORS HEINRICH KISSINGER FRIEDRICH ARZT ALBERT KECK wmv,

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent O 3,125,995 PARKING-METER Heinrich Kissinger, Griesheim, Darmstadt, Friedrich Arzt,

Frankfurt am Main Sud, and Albert Keck, Niederhochstadt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, asslguors to FA. VD@ Tachometer Werke Adolf Selnndling @mhd-l., Frmkfurt am Main, Germany, a corporation of Gerrnmy Filed Jan'. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 163,412 v Claims priority, application Germany .i an. 3, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 194-19) The present invention relates to a parking meter with an automatic control device for the indicatoresettmgmechanism responding by means of a coin feeler, on coins of various values and diameters.

Parking meters are known, in which a coin feeler responding to coins of different values and diameters, operates a detent device, for the control of the indicatorsetting movements. The coin feeler consists of a rotatably arranged double lever with lever arms of different lengths, of which the longer one is used for the selection of the coin diameter and the shorter one has a plurality of stepshaped curves variously formed and arranged according to the values of the different coin-s for the adjustment of the detent device, respectively, the indicator-setting-mechanisrn according to the values of the coins. The arrangement of the curve-steps on the short lever arm of the coin feeler, however, presupposes relative large diameter differences between the individual coins, because its adjusting movements are correspondingly small. The relatively wide formation of the individual curve-steps permits also the improper use of the parking meter by insertion of coins or other objects with considerable dimensional divergences from the specified diameter of the coins. Such parking meters require, therefore, additional, mostly very expensive coin testing equipment.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a parking meter, which removes these disadvantages and comprises, essentially, slotted guides of different lengths, limited corresponding to the various values of the coins, which slotted guides are arranged on the coin feeler in multiple distances in proportion to the diameter difference of the coins, by which the hand-adjusting-mechanism is controlled by means of a slotted guide member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a parking meter, wherein a double lever is used as coin feeler in known manner, in which, contrary to the known designs, the short lever arm is used for the scanning of the coin diameter and on the long lever arm a circular sector-shaped disc is provided, in which the slotted guides are worked out in form of narrow sections. By this arrangement and formation of the sections on the coin feeler, as well as by the application of a scanning pin as guide member for the hand-adjusting-mechanism, which pin with only Very slight lateral play can move in the sections, it has been made possible, that for a large number of coins with smallest diameter differences, sections can be provided.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a parking meter, wherein as a further advantage of the present invention, which makes the mounting of a coin-testing-device superfluous, coins with the slightest divergences from the specified diameter are useless for the park time adjustment, because the scanning pin together with the hand-adjusting-mechanism is blocked by the circular sector-shaped disc of the coin feeler. Further, the hand-adjustingmechanisrn which is started only with charging of denite coins is protably employed for the control of a separating or return device for coins with dimensions differing from the specified diameter and is marked out by a specially simple and reliable operating construction.

Edhd. Patented Mar. 31, i964 With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FGURE l is a side view of the control device for the hand-adjusting-mechanism and its driving means;

FIG. 2 is the coin separating device with its driving means and the control by the hand-adjusting mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the device according to FIG. 2, seen in the direction of the arrow A;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the coin separating device along the lines l-d of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the coin separating device with its driving agent seen in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the coinnseparating device seen in the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 2 with a detent device controlled by the hand-adjusting mechanisrn; and

FIG. 7 is a view of the detent device seen in the direction of the arrow D, in FIG. 6.

Coin-Actuazed Operating Mechanism 0j the Parking Meter Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, the present parking meter relates to an automatic type thereof, in which the time expiry indicator after charging of a suitable coin is adjusted automatically to a parking time corresponding to the coin value. A spring work (not shown), which is wound up within certain time periods by a person servicing the parking meter, is used as a source of power for the operation of the handadjusting-mechanism. One gear l. (FIG. l) coupled with the spring work is in mesh with a gear 2, which is keyed to a shaft 5 rotatably mounted in two bearing plates 3 and 4. An additional gear 6 is keyed to the shaft 5 which meshes with a gear 8 keyed to a shaft 7. The latter is also rotatably mounted in the same bearing plates. A further gear 9, as well as a cam plate 10 and a control member lll are mounted on the shaft 7, the functions being explained below.

The -spring work drives the shaft 7 by means of the gears 1, 2, 6 and 8 in counter-clock direction as indicated by the arrow 71, as soon as the shaft '7 is released by a coin actuated operating device for rotation thereof. The operating device @it consists essentially of a lever 12, which is swingably pivoted on a bolt 13 ysecured to the bearing plate l and which in laterally bent off adjoining portions lltand l5 carries an aXle 16, on which again the coin release lever i7 is swingably located. A helical spring 13 wound around the axle 16 is tensioned at its free ends between the lever 12. and the coin-release lever ll and places the latter in its resting position, shown in FIG. l, against an abutment member 19 provided on the lever l2. The latter is kept in its initial position, shown in FIG. 1, by means of a spring 20, whereby the free end of the coin release lever i7 places itself against an edge 21 of an abutment plate 52, which is secured to a coin slot 22, indicated in dash-dotted lines. The coin slot 22 is of rectangular cross section. At its lower free end the lever 12 has two arms 23 and 24, the arm 23 cooperating with the cam plate lil, in a manner to be set forth below, and the other arm 2d cooperating with a sling spring 25. The latteris secured to a shaft 26 mounted rotatably in the bearing plates 3 and d, and having keyed thereto a gear 27. The latter is in mesh with a gear 23, which is keyed to a shaft 29 rotatably mounted in the bearing plates 3 and d. The shaft 29 has keyed thereto also the gear 30 which is in mesh with the gear 9. If no coin rests on the free end of the coin release lever 17, which projects into the coin slot 22, and the levers 12 and 17 accordingly occupy their resting position, shown in FiG. 1, the sling spring 25 engages with its free end a bend at 3 the arm 24 of the lever 12 and prevents by means of gears 27, 28, 3@ and 9 a rotation of the shaft 7 caused by the spring Work and, thereby, the starting of the parking meter.

Time Expiry-Indicaor-Setng Device One double-armed lever 32, provided for the setting of the time expiry indicator 31 is disposed loosely on a bolt 33 which is mounted in the bearing plate 4. A spring 34, secured to the lever 32, keeps a bolt 35 ixed to the lower arm of the lever 32, in engagement with the periphery of the cam plate 19. The upper end of the lever 32 is formed as toothed segment. It is in mesh with a gear 37 rotatably mounted on an axle 36. The latter is mounted in the bearing plates 3 and 4. An arm 38 having a pawl 39 is secured to the gear 37. The pawl 39 cooperates with a toothing 41 formed on a disc 4G. The latter is loosely mounted on the axis 36 and carries the time expiry-indicator 31. A scanning pin 42 is secured to the upper arm of the lever 32, which scanning pin 42 is provided for the cooperation with a control disc 43, as soon as after starting of the parking meter clock, the cam plate 1t) releases the lever 32 for a rotation counter-clockwise by the force of a tension spring 34. A more detailed description will be dealt with below.

The scanning pin 42 is disposed on the lever 32 in such manner, that it does not engage the control disc 43, as long as the lever 32 assumes its resting position (FIG. 1). The distance of the scanning pin 42 from the edge 88 of the control disc 43 is very short and constant in each of a plurality of set positions of the control disc 43. The latter is, in the example shown in the drawing, screwed to an arm 45, which is rotatably mounted on a bolt 44 which in turn is supported by the bearing plate 4. The downwardly bent, hammershaped part 46 of the arm 45 rests in its inoperative position on a pin 47, riveted to the cam plate 1i). A coin-sensing plate 48, likewise loosely mounted on the bolt 44, is rigidly secured to the arm 45 by means of a screw bolt 4S. The coin-sensing plate 43 has a bending 49 with a nose portion 5b at one side, the range of movement of which is given by the cut outs 51 in the broadsides of the coin slot 22. The coin-sensing plate 4S is disposed on the arm 45 in such manner, that upon insertion of the coin with the largest diameter selected for the parking meter, the coin can fall down in the coin slot 22 between the nose portion 50 and the abutment 52 disposed at the coin slot 22 to the free end of the coin-relcasing-lever 17. The width and length of the bending 49 as well as its range of movement in the coin slot 22 is measured such, that the bending 49 can block the coin slot within the range of the cut outs 51 for the passage of the coin, as will be described in detail below.

The control disc 43 is provided with several narrow slots a, b and c, extending inwardly from the edge of the control disc 43, opposite to the scanning pin 42, which slots are adapted for a cooperation with the scanning pin 42. Tie number of the narrow slots depends upon the number of the coins selected for the park time setting, and, in the example shown in the drawing, iS only limited, for the purpose of explaining the present invention to three slots a, b and c, which are attached to a quarter of a dollar coin, a dime coin and a nickel coin. The length of the slots depends on the value of the coins coordinated thereto, and its width is measured such with reference to the diameter of the scanning pin 42, that the latter can move in the slots with only very little lateral play.

For the selective change of the lengths of the slots and thereby of the indicatoretting-movements abutments (not shown) can be disposed adjustably on the control disc 43. The mutual distance of the slots on the control disc 43 amounts, corresponding to the length of the lever arm 45, to a manifold of the diameter dilerence of the CFI three coins. The control disc 43 has such measurements, that there is suicient space on it, for the arrangement of slots for further coins and can be exchanged, upon application o the parking meter in another currency territory.

Upon inserting one of the selected coins into the coin slot, for example, of one quarter coin 54 into the parking meter, the coin 54 moves through the coin slot 22 onto the free end of the lever 17, whereby it reaches the position between the abutment 52 and the nose portion 59 of the coin-sensing plate 43. By the weight of the coin 54 the coin-release-lever 17 together with the lever 12 is rotated counter-clockwise, so that the arm 24 of the lever 12 can be lifted oft the free end of the sling-spring 25 and releases the latter for a rotation in counter-clockwise direction. The locking of the spring work (not shown) is thereby lifted and its gear 1 drives the shaft 7 over the gears 2, 6 and 8 and, thereby, the cam plate 1t) and the control member 11 counter-clockwise. The pin 47 provided on the cam plate 10 removes itself simultaneously from the part 46 of the arm 45, so that the latter due to its own weight can rotate clockwise, until the nose portion 50 of the coin-sensing-plate 48 engages the periphery of the coin 54, which at this moment, is clamped between the nose portion 50, the abutment 52 and the lever 17. The slot a coordinated to the quarter coin is hereby put into opposite position to the scanning pin 42. When the cam plate 10, during its further movement, enters with its sloping periphery section 53, the range of the bolt 35, the spring 34 secured to the lever 32 becomes effective and swings the lever 32 counter-clockwise, whereby the scanning pin 42 enters the slot a and terminates the counter-indicator rotation movement of the lever 32, upon reaching the end of the slot a. Simultaneously the time-expiry-indicator 31 is set to a parking time coordinated to the quarter coin by means of the tooth segment of the lever 32, the gear 37 and the pawl 39.

During the further rotation of the cam plate 10, the lever 32 is turned for a return rotation due to the increasing peripheral section 54 of the cam plate 1t) in clockwise direction to its initial position, shown in FIG. 1, whereby the pawl 39 on the toothed gear 41 of the disc 40 glides back inetfectively to its initial position (FIG. 1).

In order to prevent a possible disturbance of the spring work drive during the indicator setting process, the cam plate 10 abuts with its peripheral section of constant radius for the safety of the switching position of the lever 12 towards the arm 23 of the lever 12, still before the cam plate 10 with its sloping peripheral section 53 enters the range of the pin 35 provided on the lever 32 and the latter starts its counterclockwise rotation for the setting of the time-expiry-indicator 31. Shortly after termination of the indicator-setting, in the course of the further rotation of the shaft 7 the control member 11 engages with its cam arm 55 an abutment 56 formed at the coinrelease lever 17 and brings about a lateral horizontal swinging of the lever 17 against the force of the spring 18, whereby the coin glides down from the free end of the lever 17 through the lower part of the coin slot 22 and falls into a coin-separating device 91.

The arm 45 rotates, after the coin 54 has moved down the lever 17 by its own weight, in clockwise direction until it engages with its part 46 an abutment 46a mounted in the bearing plate 4. During the continued rotation of the cam plate 10, the pin 47 comes into engagement with the edge 47a of the part 46 and swings the arm 45 counterclockwise back into its initial position, shown in FIG. l. As soon as the cam plate 10 during its further rotation enters the range of the arm 23 with its sloping section 53, the levers 17 and 12 return clockwise with the force of the spring 2t) to their original position, shown in FIG. 1, the arm 24 returns again within the range of the movement of the sling spring 25, prevents the latter from a further rotation and locks, thereby, the springwork.

The cycle of operation in the time-indicator-setting-device remains the same upon insertion of a dime or nickel coin, however, corresponding to the different diameters of the mentioned coins, the control disc 43 swings clockwise Vfor such anyangle of rotation, that the slot c and b, respectively, is disposed opposite the scanning pin 42. The length of the slot c is 2/5 corresponding to the value of the coordinated coin, namely a dime, and the length of the slot b is about 1/5 corresponding to the value of the coordinated coin, namely, a nickel, of that of the slot a. The setting lengths of the time-expiry-indicator are disposed likewise in a corresponding ratio, whereby the length of the slot a and the transmission or gear ratio of the transmission members 32, 37, 38 is dimensioned such, that the time-expiry-indicator 31 passes completely the dial (not shown).

If two coins of the same or different diameters are inserted into the slot 22 immediately one after the other, the iirst coin assumes the position as described above, between the nose portion 50 and the abutment 52 on the free end of the coin-release lever 17 in the coin slot 22 and the second coin places itself against the periphery lof the first coin and the abutment 52. In the course of the operation initiated by the iirst coin, the nose portion 5l) places itself against the periphery of the first coin and moves itself shortly after termination of the setting of the time-expiry-indicator and after the sliding down of lthe coin lfrom the lever 17 between the first coin falling down into the coin-separating device 91 and the next following second coin. The bending 49 entering into the out outs 51, provided in the coin slot 22, prevents thereby a further gliding down of the second coin on the coin-release-lever 17. The second coin can fall down onto the free end of the lever 17 only in the course of the return movement of the arm 45 by the pin 47 and can hold the lever 17, as well as the lever 12 in switching position, whereby a further working operation is released.

If a coin of a diameter deviating from the diameter of the selected coins or any other flat object is inserted into the coin slot 22 of the parking meter, the scanning pin 42 engages the edge 88 of the sector-shaped peripheral section of the control disc 43 after release of the lever 32 by the cam plate 10. The lever 32, as well as the time-expiry-indicator 31 remain in their initial position and no parking time setting takes place.

Coin-Separating-Device The coin separating device 91 is disposed in the lower part of the coin slot 22 and serves the purpose, exclusively, to provide the dropping of the coin selected for the parking meter (in the example quarter, dime and nickel coins) into the coin collecting container (not shown), while al1 other coins, hereafter briefly indicated as counterfeit coins, or any other iiat objects, are fed into a separate container or are expelled through an aperture (not shown) in the housing of the parking meter. The coin slot 22 has, for this purpose, a coin aperture formed as a slit extending through at one horizontal narrow side at 60 and at the vertical narrow side at 61 at the end of the coin slot 22 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 6), whereby the slit section at 61 is provided for the counterfeit coin. The coin aperture can be closed at 60 and 61 by locking flaps 63 and 64. The locking fiap 63 is rotatably mounted by means of bearing pins 65 and 66 in projections 67 rep. 68 having corresponding openings, which in turn are secured to the coin slot 22. A spring 62 secured to the locking flap 63 retains the latter in its resting position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, whereby a bending 70 of the locking flap 63 disposed at 61 in the direction towards the coin aperture closes the coin aperture at 61B. An arm 71 formed on the locking flap 63 is disposed with its bent end 71a within the path of movement of a cam arm 72 of the control member 11 (FIGS. 2 and 5). The locking flap 64 for the counterfeit coinaperture 61 is likewise rotatably mounted by means of bearing pins 75 and 76 in projections 7-7 and 78, respectively, having corresponding openings. The projections 77 and 78 are secured to the coin slot 22. A spring 79 secured to the locking ilap 64 retains the latter in its resting position shown in FIG. 6 in full lines, whereby a bending S0 thereof closes the coin aperture at 61. An arm 81 provided on the locking flap 64 is adapted for cooperation with a pawl 82 (FIGS. 2, 6 and 7), as will be described below. T he pawl S2 is rotatably mounted on a bolt 83 supported by the bearing plate 4 and reaches with its arm 84 into the range of movement of the `projection S5 of the lever 32.

If in the course of an operation of the parking meter, released by one of the selected coins, the coin-releaselever 17 is moved laterally by the cam arm 55 and, thereby, the coin lying on the front end of the lever 17 slides off, the coin remains at rst in the lower part of the coin slot 22 up to the beginning of the next following operation, because the coin aperture is closed at 60 and 61. Immediately after starting the next following operation, the cam arm 72 of the control member 11 gets into engagement with the end 71a of the arm 71, due to the rotation of the shaft '7, counter-clockwise and causes a swinging of the locking ilap 63 against the force of the spring 69 counter-clockwise (FIGS. 4 and 5). The bending 7@ releases, thereby, the coin-aperture at 60 and the coin of the previous operation falls into the coin collecting container (not shown). The locking ap 64 is disposed with its projection 86 in engagement with the locking flap 63 and is rotated into the position shown in dashdotted lines, in FlG. 6 by its swinging against the force ofthe spring 79 counter-clockwise, whereby its arm 81 interlocks behind a section 87 (FIGS. 6 and 7) on the pawl 82. While the locking flap 63, after its release by the cam arm 72 under the pull of its spring 69, returns immediately again to its initial position and closes the coin aperture at 61D, the locking ap 64 is at first kept in its position, shown in FIG. 6 by dash-dotted lines by means of the pawl 82. The coin aperture at 61 is, thereby, freed.

It is assumed that the coin lying at this moment on the free end of the lever 17 corresponds with one of the three selected coins and the lever 32 performs, as already described, under the pull of its spring 34, after release by the cam plate 16, a rotating movement counter-clockwise, and sets the indicator 31 corresponding with the value of the used coin. During its rotation counter-clockwise, the lever 3,2 engages with its extension 35 the arm 84 of the pawl 82 and then turns the latter clockwise (FIG. 2), whereby the pawl 82 is lifted up from the arm 81 of the locking nap 64 and the latter returns by the force of its spring 79 to its initial position before the cam arm 55 of the control member 11 has moved the coin-releaselever 17. The aperture at 61 is again closed. If now the cam arm 55 swings laterally the coin-releasing-lever 17 during the further rotation of the control member 11 and, thereby, the coin lying on its free end slides off, the coin remains in the lower part of the channel formed by the coin slot 22 up to the start of the next following operation.

In case of the use of a counterfeit coin or other iat objects, the lever 32 does not perform any rotation, as already described, so that the pawl S2 remains in its switching position and the locking -flap 64 in its inoperative position. The coin aperture at 61 for the counterfeit coin is, thereby, free, so that the particular coin falls after its sliding off the coin-release-lever 17 at rst on the bending 7@ of the locking flap 63, thereafter rolls out through the aperture at 61 and either arrives in a special container (not shown), or is released through a recess in the housing (not shown) of the parking meter.

While we have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

We claim: 1. A parking meter comprising a frame,

a power source mounted on said frame,

a gear train operatively connected with said power source,

means for locking the operation of said gear train,

means for rendering operative said gear train in respouse to the weight of coins to be inserted into said parking meter,

a coin selector comprising a control member having a plurality of slotted guides of different lengths, the length of each of said slotted guides being complementary to the value of the coin inserted into said parking meter and said slotted guides being spaced apart from each other for a distance amounting to a multiple of the diameter difference of said coins,

a time setting indicator rotatably mounted on said frame,

means including scanning means for turning said time setting indicator for an angle complementary to the different lengths of said slotted guides,

said scanning means cooperating with said slotted guides, and

a coin feeling means turnable, jointly with said coin selector, upon operation of said gear train, for engagement with the end face of said coin for an angle depending upon the diameter of said coin, in order to locate said scanning means relative to said slotted guides.

2. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said coin selector comprises a double armed lever pivotally secured to said frame,

one of the arms of said lever sensing the diameter of different coins,

the other of the arms of said lever formed as a disc sector having a curved marginal section,

said slotted guides extending inwardly from said marginal section, and

said scanning means comprises a scanning pin mounted on said means for turning said time-setting-indicator and entering the corresponding of said slotted guides upon locating said scanning pin opposite the corresponding of said slotted guides.

3. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said scanning pin has in each of a plurality of setting positions a constant very small distance from said curved peripheral section of said disc sector.

4. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said slotted guides are of a width slightly greater than the diameter of said scanning pin, in order to move Said scanning pin in said slotted guides with the least lateral play, whereby a counterfeit coin of slightly different diameter from that of the coin to be inserted due to the multiplied diameter difference renders the parking meter inoperative.

5. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 2, which includes abutment means adjustably mounted in said slotted guides in order to vary the operative length of said slotted guides.

6. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said other of said arms of said lever is of longitudinal shape, and

said disc sector is exchangeably secured to the free end of said lever, in order to adopt said parking meter to different currencies.

7. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 1, which includes `a coin feeding container of rectangular cross section terminating into a coin slot,

the wide sides of said coin feeding container having oppositely disposed recesses,

a lever forming a circular sector-shaped plate and having a bending at the curved peripheral edge portion thereof, and

means for turning said sector-shaped plate for an angle to engage the edge portion of a coin inserted in said container to select a coin in accordance with its diameter.

8. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 7, wherein said circular, sector-shaped plate is adjustably secured to said lever arm and the width and length of said bending, as well as said recesses in said coin feeding container are chosen in such manner, that said bending closes up said container, preventing the passage of a coin, in one end position of said one of said arms of said lever.

9. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 8, wherein end of said bending engages said coin and feels the diameter of the latter, and

said coin feeding container has two limit means within the path of movement of said one end of said bending of said circular, sector-shaped plate.

10. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 9, which includes a starting member comprising a lever mounted rotatably about an axis disposed perpendicularly to its longitudinal axis and swingably about its longitudinal axls,

the free end of said lever projecting through the narrow side of said coin feeding container and during the coin feeding operation constitutes one of said limit means.

11. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 1, which includes a coineparating device controlled by said indicator setting means.

12. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said coin separating device comprises two locking flaps pivotally secured to said coin feeding container and locking the coin outlet from said coin feeding container in two different directions, said driving source causing opening of said flaps during operation of said parking meter,

means for returning one of said flaps automatically, and the other of said flaps in response to the control means for said indicator-setting means into their locking positions.

13. The parking meter, as set forth in claim l2, wherein said coin outlet is disposed on the vertical side and one of the horizontal narrow sides of said coin feeding container, and

said locking flaps are disposed parallel to the narrow sides of said coin feeding container within the range of said coin outlet.

14. The parking meter, as set forth in claim 13, wherein the effective face of said locking iap coordinated to the slot disposed on the horizontal narrow side of said coin feeding container is formed in an oblique plane, which is inclined in the direction towards the other of said slots disposed on the vertical narrow side of said coin feeding container.

l5. T he parking meter, as set forth in claim 13, which includes References Cite in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Weston June 23, 1942 Woodruff June 8, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Dec. 9, 1937

Claims (1)

1. A PARKING METER COMPRISING A FRAME, A POWER SOURCE MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, A GEAR TRAIN OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID POWER SOURCE, MEANS FOR LOCKING THE OPERATION OF SAID GEAR TRAIN, MEANS FOR RENDERING OPERATIVE SAID GEAR TRAIN IN RESPONSE TO THE WEIGHT OF COINS TO BE INSERTED INTO SAID PARKING METER, A COIN SELECTOR COMPRISING A CONTROL MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF SLOTTED GUIDES OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS, THE LENGTH OF EACH OF SAID SLOTTED GUIDES BEING COMPLEMENTARY TO THE VALUE OF THE COIN INSERTED INTO SAID PARKING METER AND SAID SLOTTED GUIDES BEING SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER FOR A DISTANCE AMOUNTING TO A MULTIPLE OF THE DIAMETER DIFFERENCE OF SAID COINS, A TIME SETTING INDICATOR ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, MEANS INCLUDING SCANNING MEANS FOR TURNING SAID TIME SETTING INDICATOR FOR AN ANGLE COMPLEMENTARY TO THE DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF SAID SLOTTED GUIDES. SAID SCANNING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID SLOTTED GUIDES, AND A COIN FEELING MEANS TURNABLE, JOINTLY WITH SAID COIN SELECTOR, UPON OPERATION OF SAID GEAR TRAIN, FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE END FACE OF SAID COIN FOR AN ANGLE DEPENDING UPON THE DIAMETER OF SAID COIN, IN ORDER TO LOCATE SAID SCANNING MEANS RELATIVE TO SAID SLOTTED GUIDES.

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