Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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LARGE CAPACITY COIN RECEPTACLE FOR PAY TELEPHONES
TEC ICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to pay telephones and, more particularly, to a
coin
receptacle for pay telephones.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For many years, pay telephone owners have relied on employees or contractors
to collect
money from their pay telephones by traveling to a plurality of pay telephones,
by emptying coins
previously deposited in the pay telephones, and by transporting the coins back
to the owners.
Unfortunately, some of the "collectors" have been less than honest and have
stolen large amounts
of collected money from the telephone owners. Such theft has been enabled, in
part, by the
unsupervised access of the collectors to the money and by the absence of any
accurate records
as to the exact amount of money previously deposited in the pay telephones.
Without accurate
records, the owner of a pay telephone could not determine whether or not any
money had been
stolen by a collector. Such theft has also been enabled, in part, by the
absence of coin-handling
devices designed to prevent theft of money by the collectors. In some older
pay telephones,
deposited coins fell into open-top hoppers within the pay telephones for
keeping until the coins
were dumped out of the hoppers and transported to the pay telephone owners by
collectors. With
unsupervised access to the hoppers, the collectors could brazenly pocket all
of the coins from the
hoppers or could pocket a portion of the coins from the hoppers, thereby
"skimming" money
from the owner of a pay telephone.
In an attempt at stemming this theft problem, the manufacturers of newer pay
telephones
have incorporated, into each pay telephone, a security-sealed coin receptacle
box which resides
in a steel-reinforced vault within the pay telephone and which receives coins
accepted by the pay
telephone. To collect the money from the pay telephone, a collector removes
the coin receptacle
box from the phone's vault, inserts an empty coin receptacle box into the
phone's vault, and
transports the removed coin receptacle box to the phone's owner. The coin
receptacle box is
manufactured from steel and has a tamper-resistant cover with an opening that
allows accepted
coins to pass from the phone's coin handling mechanism into the coin
receptacle box for
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temporary storage until the box is replaced by a collector. The cover has a
pivotally-mounted
metal door which automatically rotates into a first position to cover the
opening when the coin
receptacle box is not within the vault of the pay telephone and which
automatically rotates into
a second position to uncover the opening (i.e., allowing accepted coins to
pass through the
opening) when the coin receptacle box resides within the vault of the pay
telephone. By limiting
access to the coins within the coin receptacle box when the box is outside the
pay telephone, the
metal door makes it difficult for a collector to gain access to the coins
within the box, thereby
reducing the opportunity for theft of the coins.
Such prior art metal coin receptacles (boxes) are known for their strength and
their
resistance to bursting upon impact (it frequently occurs that the collector
accidentally drops the
coin receptacle). Unfortunately, such metal coin receptacles can be expensive
and can require
expensive tooling to manufacture. Moreover, by their nature, metal coin
receptacles are prone
to corrosion in certain environments. Importantly, metal coin receptacles,
although resistant to
bursting, upon being dropped can be permanently deformed to such an extent
that the coin
1 S receptacle cannot be fitted back inside the coin vault of the pay
telephone. This is so because the
coin receptacles are closely matched to the size of the opening of the coin
vault. Therefore, any
slight change in the shape or size of the coin receptacle can prevent it from
being reinserted into
a pay telephone.
Recently, Quadrum Telecommunications, Inc., of Huntsville, Alabama (the
assignee of
the present application) has introduced a telephone housing having a large
capacity vault. The
large capacity of the vault is achieved partly by increasing the area of the
front opening through
which the coin receptacle is received and partly by increasing the depth
(front-to-back) of the
vault. Such a large capacity vault is well-suited to accept a coin receptacle
having a greater coin-
holding capacity (volume). However, ideally such a large capacity receptacle
should be designed
to accept a standard receptacle cover in order to ensure compatibility with
other manufacturers'
coin handling mechanisms.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need yet remains for a coin receptacle
which has a
substantially increased capacity, which is computable with existing receptacle
covers, which is
inexpensive to manufacture, which has excellent resistance to damage from
being dropped, and
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which is resistant to corrosion. It is to the provision of such a coin
receptacle that the present
invention is primarily directed.
~I1MMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, in a preferred form the present invention comprises a coin
receptacle
for use with a locking coin receptacle cover and for use within a pay
telephone. The coin
receptacle comprises a receptacle body having a bottom and four sides
extending therefrom. The
four sides define a top opening adapted to be covered by a locking coin
receptacle cover. The
bottom has an area that is substantially larger than an area of the coin
receptacle cover (i.e., the
coin receptacle has a much larger footprint than the coin receptacle cover).
The receptacle body
fiu~ther comprises pull means for facilitating removal of the coin receptacle
from a pay telephone.
Preferably, the plastic receptacle body has a wall thickness of typically
about 0.094
inches and is made of polycarbonate. Most preferably, the plastic receptacle
body is made of GE
Lexan~ 131 and is made by a blow-molding process.
Stated another way, the present invention comprises a coin receptacle for use
with a
locking coin receptacle cover and for use within a pay telephone. The coin
receptacle comprises
a receptacle body having a bottom and four sides extending therefrom. The four
sides define a
top opening adapted to be covered by a locking coin receptacle cover. The four
sides and the
bottom define an interior volume of at least 1.3 liters or greater.
Preferably, the interior volume
is about 1.5 liters or more. The receptacle body further comprises pull means
for facilitating
removal of the coin receptacle from a pay telephone.
Coin receptacles made according to the invention have numerous advantages.
Firstly,
such coin receptacles provide greatly increased coin capacity and are highly
resistant to
permanent deformation upon being dropped. Moreover, such a coin receptacle is
manufactured
easily and inexpensively. Also, it is very resistant to corrosion and is
scratch-resistant. Such a
coin receptacle also is lower in weight when compared to prior art units.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coin
receptacle which
has increased coin holding capacity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin receptacle
which is resistant
to permanent deformation upon being dropped.
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It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin receptacle
which is
manufactured easily and inexpensively.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin receptacle
which is scratch-
resistant and corrosion-resistant.
S It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin receptacle
which is durable
in construction, economical to manufacture, and reliable in use.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention
will become
apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the
accompanying drawing
figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a coin receptacle according to a preferred form
of the
invention, shown with a coin receptacle cover mounted thereon.
1 S Fig. lA is a sectional view of the coin receptacle of Fig. 1, taken along
view lines IA-lA.
Fig. 1B is a detailed, partially cut-away front elevation view of a portion of
the coin
receptacle of Fig. 1.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the coin receptacle of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3A shows a large capacity coin vault for receiving a large capacity coin
receptacle
according to a preferred form of the invention, shown in perspective with some
elements
removed for clarity.
Fig. 3B is a rear perspective view of the coin vault of Fig. 3A.
Fig. 3C is a rear elevation view of a removable vault door portion of the
vault of Fig. 3A.
Fig. 3D is a schematic side view of the vault and vault door of Figs. 3A and
3C.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Refernng now in detail to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals
represent
like parts throughout the several views, Fig. 1 shows a coin receptacle 10
according to a preferred
form of the invention. The coin receptacle 10 is of the type for use with a
locking coin receptacle
*rB
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cover or lid L and for use within a pay telephone. The coin receptacle 10 has
a plastic body 11
which is a single piece, blow-molded, and preferably made of polycarbonate.
Preferably, the
polycarbonate is in the GE Lexan~ series and most preferably it is GE Lexan~
131. Preferably,
the body 11 has a typical wall thickness of 0.094 inches.
5 The body 11 includes a bottom panel 12 and side panels or side walls 13-16.
Included
among these side walls are a right hand side wall 13, a front side wall 14, a
left side wall 15, and
a rear side wall 16. The right and left sides 13 and 15 are substantially
flat. In contrast thereto,
the front side 14 and the rear side 16 are undulated to provide increased
stiffness. Moreover, the
front side 14 and the rear side 16 are bulged wherever possible to maximize
the interior volume
of the coin receptacle 10. Likewise, the bottom panel 12 is gusseted or
corrugated with left and
right gussets 18 and 19 to increase the stiffness of the bottom panel 12.
As shown in Fig. lA, the lower half 21 of the front wall 14 is bulged
outwardly beyond
the upper half 22 thereof. As clearly shown in Fig. lA and in Fig. l, the
footprint or area of the
bottom 12 is substantially greater than that of the coin receptacle cover L.
Indeed, in the
illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing figures, and as particularly seen
in Fig. 2, the
footprint or area of the bottom 12 is about 68% greater than the area of the
coin receptacle cover
L. It should be noted that the coin receptacle cover L depicted in the drawing
figures conforms
to industry standard dimensions in order to allow the coin receptacle 10 to be
matched up with
various other manufacturers' components. This is important because it is
common in the
industry for purchasers of pay telephone equipment to mix and match different
components from
different manufacturers in a single pay telephone. This also allows large
capacity coin
receptacles to be used with standard, commercially-available coin handling
mechanisms (not
shown in the figures).
The front wall 14 also includes a central recess 23. Within this central
recess 23 a pull
ring 24 is pivotally secured to the front wall 14. Preferably, the ends of the
pull ring are provided
with ferrules or collars which are swaged onto the ends to prevent the ends
from being pulled
out of the front wall, as might otherwise occur when pulling the pull ring 24
to remove a full (or
stuck) coin receptacle 10 from within a pay telephone. As can be seen from the
detailed, partially
cut-away view of Fig. 1B, the ends of the pull ring 24 extend into the
interior of the coin
receptacle 10. These ends of the pull ring are securely held inside the coin
receptacle 10 by the
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provision of the swaged ferrules, such as swaged ferrule 51. Next to each
ferrule is a loose
washer, such as washer 52. The loose washers are fitted about the pull ring 24
inside the coin
receptacle 10. The loose washers avoid undue wear between the metal ferrules
and the inside
surface of the plastic body 11. The washers help to avoid undue stresses being
placed on the
plastic body 11 as a result of the end faces of the ferrules not being
parallel to the local surface
of the plastic body 11.
The front wall I4 also includes a pair of blind holes 26 and 27 for
cooperating with
unshown extensions from a vault door to ensure that the coin receptacle 10 is
fully inserted into
the coin vault when the coin vault cover is placed on the pay telephone
housing. This complete
insertion of the coin receptacle ensures proper alignment between the opening
in the coin
receptacle cover L and the discharge opening from an unshown coin handling
mechanism. It
also ensures sufficient minimum clearance of the coin receptacle in relation
to the vault door
locking mechanism. Furthermore, it ensures compatibility with the industry
standard placement
of a weldment on the vault door, and accomplishes these objectives while
having a minimal
1 S negative impact on the coin carrying capacity of the coin receptacle.
The front side 14 also includes a shallow recess 28 for receiving a label,
such as to
indicate ownership of the coin receptacle. The front side 14 also includes a
hasp 29 for
cooperating with a downwardly descending tongue portion T of the coin
receptacle lid or cover
L. The downwardly descending tongue T includes a slot which allows it to be
slipped over the
hasp 29 to receive a lock or lock wire through a hole in the hasp to secure
the coin receptacle
cover in place atop the coin receptacle.
The coin receptacle 10 also includes a ledge and rim arrangement on the top of
the coin
receptacle which operates to stiffen the top of the coin receptacle to prevent
the sides from being
pushed in and also eliminates a direct path for probes used by vandals to
prevent the vandals
from getting under the rim of the coin receptacle cover and thereby unlocking
the box. In this
regard, the ledge and rim arrangement is shown in each of the figures as
including a horizontal
ledge 31 and an upstanding rim 32 extending perpendicularly thereto. The rim
32 is a not-quite
square rectangle which is sized and adapted to receive an industry standard
configuration of a
coin receptacle cover L thereon. Extending outwardly in three directions
therefrom is the ledge
31.
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As shown in the various figures, and especially as shown in Fig. lA, the front
wall 14 has
a greatly undulated surface which tends to increase the stiffness of the front
side 14. Opposite
thereto is the rear side 16. As shown in Fig. 2, the rear side 16 includes
outer raised ridges 33
and 34 which are separated by a central panel section 36. As shown in Fig. 1
A, the central panel
section 36 includes a transverse lateral corrugation 37.
Referring still to Fig. lA, the lid or coin receptacle cover L is mounted to
the top of the
coin receptacle 10 adjacent a rear edge 38 of the coin receptacle 10. In this
regard, it is pointed
out the coin receptacle 10 includes a stepped or offset portion adjacent this
rear edge, including
mounting holes for the cover so that standard covers (lids) can be used and so
that a heavy wall
section at this highly stressed area can be maintained. It should be noted
that the upper end of
the central panel 36 includes a first offset portion 41 which is offset or
joggled a distance
approximately equal to one thickness of the central panel 36. The central
panel 36 also includes
a second offset portion 42, offset or joggled by an equal amount. Hinge holes
(unshown in these
figures) are formed along edge 38 adjacent these offsets for receiving tab
portions 43 of the lid
L therethrough . This provides good vertical and lateral support for the lid
L, while at the same
providing an excellent contact therebetween to prevent vandalism.
It should be pointed out that the depth (measured front to back) of the coin
receptacle 10
is maximized to the greatest extent possible to allow the coin receptacle 10
to use as much of the
interior volume of the coin vault of the pay telephone housing as is possible
for containing coins,
while still clearing various components of the coin vault cover. This
provides, in effect, a "glove
fit" between the coin receptacle 10 and the interior of the coin vault. This
provides maximum
coin carrying capacity for the coin receptacle 10. Indeed, coin receptacles
according to the
present invention yield an increased capacity of approximately 40% to 50% over
conventional
coin boxes. For example, known prior art metal coin receptacles have an
interior volume limited
to approximately 1.0 to 1.1 liters, while the interior volume of the coin
receptacle 10 is about
1.55 to 1.60 liters. This is a very significant increase, inasmuch as the
capacity of the coin
receptacle limits how long the pay telephone can go without being serviced.
For example, if the
usage of a prior art pay telephone would dictate that the pay telephone be
serviced every two
weeks in order to empty the coin box (receptacle) before it became completely
full, the increase
in the capacity of the coin receptacle by 50% allows the coin receptacle to be
cleared out once
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every three weeks, instead of once every two weeks. This represents a
substantial savings in both
time and money.
Referring now to Fig. 3A, there is shown a vault portion 130 of a housing for
use with
a coin receptacle 10 according to a preferred form of the invention. The vault
130 depicted in
Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B includes first and second sides 131 and 132 and bottom 133
extending
therebetween. The vault 130 also includes back and top panels, not shown in
this view. A
significant feature of the vault 130 is that the majority of the inner rim
typically found in prior
art vaults has been removed. Indeed, for example, three of the four tongues
normally used the
prior art devices have been removed in this design. This greatly increases the
useful volume of
the vault. An outer rim is formed by rim members 136, 137 and 138,
collectively forming three-
fourths of the outer rim. The fourth portion of the outer rim comprises upper
vault rim member
or flange.
The second rim is formed to be co-extensive with the first rim and spaced
therebehind
(between the first rim and the back of the vault). The second rim includes a
generally J-shaped
rim member 141 and a short rim member 142. In this way, there is a front rim
and a rearward
rim and a groove formed therebetween.
The vault door 145 includes a pair of locking plates 146 and 147, which are
extendable
between retracted, unlocked positions and extended, locked positions. In the
extended, locked
position, edge portions of the locking plates 146 and 147 extend laterally
outwardly and traverse
the edges of the rim members 136 and 138 to securely lock the vault door 145
in place. Indeed,
the locking plates are received in the groove between the rim members 136 and
137 and the
secondary rim formed by the J-shaped rim member 141 and the short rim member
142.
In addition to the novel locking plates 146 and 147, the vault door 145 also
has the
conventional locking bars, such as locking bars 151-154. These locking bars
are received
through openings formed in the rim of the vault door and also in the smooth-
faced rim of the
vault. The locking bars and the locking plates are simultaneously operated by
a single cam and
actuator mechanism, including a cam bar 156 mounted to a circular cam plate
157 which carries
studs, such as stud 158. The studs operate in grooves in the cam plate, as is
well-known in the
art, to move the locking bars in and out. They also move the locking plates in
and out.
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The low-profile lock cylinder assembly 160 is mounted in the left-hand side of
the vault
145 for interaction with the cam bar 156. The lock cylinder assembly 160
operates to lock the
cam bar 156 to prevent the cam bar from being rotated and thereby retracting
the locking bars
and locking plates. In this way, the lock cylinder assembly 160 cooperates to
prevent the vault
door 145 from being removed from the opening in the vault. The lock assembly
160 includes
a lock mounting plate 161 and a lock bracket 162. The lock assembly 160 also
includes a lock
cam 163 for engaging a pivotable lock bolt 164. The lock bolt 164 meshes with
the cam bar 156
to prevent rotation thereof.
It may be possible to substitute other plastics for the Lexan~ products
chosen, although
it may be necessary in that instance to carefully select the plastic and to
carefully test the design
to ensure that the resulting coin receptacle has the su~cient strength and
resiliency to meet the
criteria (including the important drop test). Some possible substitute
materials might include
polyethylene, polypropylene, or co-polymers.
While the invention has been disclosed in a preferred form, it will be
apparent to those
skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions may be
made therein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the
following claims.
