Apparatus for Preventing a Coin Drop Mechanism and a Coin Box From Burglary

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism and a coin box from burglary, more particularly to an apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism and a coin box which are installed on a front panel of a vending machine, slot machine and the like from burglary.

2. Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 shows a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a coin drop mechanism 4 and a coin box 5 which are conventionally installed to a front panel 61 of a vending machine, slot machine, and the like 6. Two mounting plates 1 and 2 are respectively fixed to the peripheral edges of a first opening 62 and a second opening 63 of the front panel 61 by means of carriage bolts and nuts 3. The coin drop mechanism 4 has a plate member (4c) which is lockably installed to the mounting plate 1 by means of a locking tab (4b) of a rotatable lock device (4a) which is provided on the plate member (4c) in order to cover the first opening 62 of the front panel 61. The locking tab (4b) may be rotated to abut the rear side of the mounting plate 1, and a projection (4d) of the lower edge of the plate member (4c) is retained behind the mounting plate 1 in order to lock the coin drop mechanism 4 to the front panel 61.

The coin box 5 has a front wall (5d) which is provided with a locking tab (5b) of a lock device (5a) and a projection (5c) of the lower edge of the front wall (5d) in a similar manner to the plate member (4c) of the coin drop mechanism (4). Therefore, the front wall (5d) of the coin box 5 is lockably installed to the mounting plate 2 in a similar manner to the plate member (4c) of the coin drop mechanism 4 in order to cover the second opening 63 of the front panel 61. The coin box 5 has a top wall (5e) hinged to the upper edge of a rear wall (5f) of the coin box 5, as best illustrated in FIG. 2.

Because the bottom of the casing of the vending machine, slot machine and the like 6 is usually made of a thin plate, it may be easily broken by a burglar. Therefore, the coin drop mechanism 4 and the coin box 5 which are received in the casing of the vending machine 6 and the like may be exposed to the exterior of the vending machine 6 and the like without any protection after the bottom of the vending machine 6 and the like is broken. The coin drop mechanism 4 may thus be ruined and the coins in the coin box 5 may be stolen by the burglar. In addition, because the top wall (5e) of the coin box 5 is hinged to the coin box 5, the top wall (5e) will be rotated to open and the coins in the coin box 5 will roll out of the coin box 5 when the casing of the coin box 5 is pushed down to the ground.

It is therefore a main object of this invention to provide an apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism and a coin box which are mounted to a front panel of a vending machine, slot machine and the like from burglary, in which the coin drop mechanism and the coin box are securely protected from burglary even if the bottom of the vending machine is broken by a burglar and the vending machine, slot machine, and the like is pushed down to the ground.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for preventing the coin drop mechanism and the coin box from burglary, in which the coin box has a top wall which is securely attached to the coin box even if the vending machine, slot machine and the like is pushed down to the ground.

Accordingly, the apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism and a coin box from being burglarized comprises a metal hollow casing, a metal mounting plate, and a plurality of carriage bolts and nuts. The coin drop mechanism has a plate member with a coin insertion slot which is mounted to a front panel of a vending machine, slot machine and the like. The coin box has a front wall mounted to the front panel. The hollow casing has a planar wall, and an opening formed in the planar wall of the hollow casing. The mounting plate has a first hole and a second hole. The plate member of the coin drop mechanism and the front wall of the coin box are lockably installed to the first and second holes of the mounting plate. The first and second holes of the mounting plate are arranged so that the coin box is located right below the coin drop mechanism when the plate member of the coin drop mechanism and the front wall of the coin box are installed to the mounting plate. A plurality of carriage bolts pass through the mounting plate, the front panel and the planar wall of the hollow casing in sequence and engage a plurality of corresponding nuts, so that the mounting plate and the hollow casing can be connected to the front face and the rear face of the front panel and the coin drop mechanism and the coin box can be received within the hollow casing.

Other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of this invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a coin drop mechanism and a coin box which are traditionally installed to a front panel of a vending machine, slot machine and the like.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional coin box shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism and a coin box of this invention from burglary.

FIG. 4 is a perspective exploded view of a preferred embodiment of a coin box of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional side view illustrating the coin box of this invention being installed to the front panel of the vending machine, slot machine and the like.

FIG. 6 is a exploded view, partially cut away, illustrating the coin drop mechanism and the coin box which are installed to a front panel of a vending machine, slot machine and the like according to this invention.

FIG. 3 shows a fragmentary perspective exploded view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus for preventing a coin drop mechanism 40 and a coin box 50 of this invention from burglary. The apparatus of the preferred embodiment of this invention comprises a metal hollow casing 10, a metal mounting plate 20, and a plurality of carriage bolts 30 and nuts 31. The hollow casing 10 is rectangular and has a planar wall 11, and an opening 14 formed in the planar wall 11 of the hollow casing 10. The mounting plate 20 is rectangular and has a first hole 21 and a second hole 22 formed therein. The plate member 42 of the coin drop mechanism 40 is constructed and lockably installed to the first hole 21 of the mounting plate 20 in a manner similar to that of the prior art, except that the locking tab 411 of the lock device 41 abuts a projection 211 formed at the back side of the mounting plate 20. The front wall 52 of the coin box 50 is lockably installed to the second hole 22 of the mounting plate 20, which will be described below in detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second holes 21 and 22 of the mounting plate 20 are arranged so that the coin box 50 is located right below the coin drop mechanism 40 when the plate member 42 of the coin drop mechanism 40 and the front wall 52 of the coin box 50 are installed to the mounting plate 20. Each of the carriage bolts 30 has a square head. The carriage bolts 30 pass through the square holes 23 of the mounting plate 20, the holes 602 of the front panel 601 and the holes 12 of the planar wall 11 of the hollow casing 10 in sequence and engage the corresponding nuts 31. Therefore, the mounting plate 20 and the hollow casing 10 can be connected to the front face and the rear face of the front panel 601 and the coin drop mechanism 40 and the coin box 50 can be received within the hollow casing 10, as best illustrated in FIG. 6. Since the square heads of the carriage bolts 30 are received in the square holes 23 of the mounting plate 20 and the carriage bolts 30 are threaded into the nuts 31 which are mounted within the hollow casing 10, the carriage bolts 30 cannot be threaded out of the mounting plate 20 unless the coin drop mechanism 40 and the coin box 50 are removed from the hollow casing 10. It is noted that the coin drop mechanism 40 and the coin box 50 are enclosed within the hollow casing 10 according to this invention when they are locked in position. Therefore, the coin drop mechanism 40 and the coin box 50 are securely protected from burglary even if the bottom of the vending machine is broken by a burglar and the vending machine, slot machine, and the like is pushed down to the ground.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the front wall 52 of the coin box 50 has an upper edge 521, and a lower edge 522 opposed to the upper edge 521. The coin box 50 has a bottom wall 58 perpendicularly connected to the lower edge 522 of the front wall 52, the bottom wall 58 of the coin box 50 has a projection 55 downwardly depending from its bottom face. A lock device 51 which is constructed as that of the prior art is provided near the upper edge 521 of the front wall 52 of the coin box 50. The locking tab 511 of the lock device 51 is rotatably provided adjacent to the back side of the front wall 52 of the coin box 50.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the mounting plate 20 has two stopping flanges 24 (only one is shown in FIG. 3) which extend oppositely and inwardly from the back side of the mounting plate 20 into the second hole 22. The inner periphery of the mounting plate 20 which defines the second hole 22 has an upper edge 222 and a lower edge 223 opposed to the upper edge 222 of the inner periphery. A protrusion 221 is formed at the back side of the mounting plate 20 near the upper edge 222 of the inner periphery of the mounting plate 20. A supporting plate 224 is perpendicularly connected to the lower edge 223 of the inner periphery of the mounting plate 20 and has a rear edge 225 extending rewardly from the lower edge 223 of the inner periphery of the mounting plate 20 into the hollow casing 10 in order to support the bottom wall 58 of the coin box 50. The rear edge 225 of the supporting plate 224 abuts the projection 55 of the bottom wall 58 of the coin box 50, as best illustrated in FIG. 5, and the front wall 52 of the coin box 50 abut the stopping flanges 24 of the mounting plate 20 when the locking tab 511 of the lock device 51 is rotated to the locked position where the locking tab 511 abuts the protrusion of the mounting plate 20. Therefore, the coin box 50 can lockably engage the mounting plate 20.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the coin box 50 is a rectangular box which includes a rear wall 57, two side walls 59 interconnecting the front wall 52 and the rear wall 57. The rear wall 57 has lower edge perpendicularly connected to the bottom wall 58 and an upper edge 571. Each of the side walls 59 has a lower edge perpendicularly connected to the bottom wall 58 and an upper edge 591. The upper edges 571, 591 of the rear wall 57 and the side walls define a top opening 53 of the coin box 50. A top wall 54 covers the top opening 53 of the coin box 50. Each of the upper edges 591 of the side walls 59 has two positioning tabs 592 perpendicularly and inwardly extending therefrom. The upper edge 571 of the rear wall 57 has a retaining tab 572 perpendicularly extending therefrom. The top wall 54 is a rectangular plate member which has a front edge 544, a rear edge 545 opposed to the front edge 544, and two side edges 546 connected between the front and rear edges 544, 545. The rear edge 545 has a downwardly inclined portion 542. Each of the side edges 546 has two downwardly depending portions 541. The downwardly inclined portion 542 engages below the retaining tab 572 of the rear edge 571, and the front edge 544 is located below the locking tab 511 of the lock device 51 when the top wall is displaced over the top opening 53. The distance between the lower end 512 of the locking tab 511 and a plane defining the top opening 53 is slightly greater than the thickness of the top wall 54. Therefore, the top wall 54 can be prevented from being upwardly separated from the coin box 50. Because each of the positioning tabs 592 is inserted between the two downwardly depending potions 541 of one of the side edges 546 of the top wall 54, so that the top wall 54 can be prevented from the horizontal movement in the top opening 53 of the coin box 50. Therefore, the top wall 54 of the coin box 50 will not separate from the coin box 50 even if the vending machine 60 is pushed down to the ground.

With this invention thus explained, it is apparent that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. It is therefore intended that this invention be limited only as indicated in the appended claims.