WO1995004335A1

WO1995004335A1 - Binocular vending apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1995004335A1
Application number: PCT/US1994/008590
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ralph A. Rasmussen; Todd E. Battista; Brian L. Putnam; Jason D. Baudette; A. James Moore; David J. Tacke
Original assignee: Binoptic International Systems Inc
Current assignee: Binoptic International Systems Inc
Priority date: 1993-07-30
Filing date: 1994-07-29
Publication date: 1995-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 1996-01-30
Also published as: AU7517494A

Abstract

A binocular vending apparatus for attachment to a structure, preferably a seat bottom, a seat back, a pedestal or an armchair, is provided. The vending apparatus includes binoculars, a housing for removably retaining the binoculars, a recoil mechanism attached to the housing, a cable for tethering the binoculars to the recoil mechanism, a token actuator device for actuating the vending apparatus, and a mounting plate which is attachable to the structure, wherein the housing is mountable to the mounting plate when the mounting plate is attached to the structure. The recoil mechanism preferably includes pivoting weight which engages and disengages a recoil stop mechanism. The tethering cable is preferably constructed of hardened stainless steel and is attached to the binoculars at one end and attached to the recoil mechanism at the other end. The token-actuator device is preferably operated by beveled tokens having a disk-shaped base and a raised portion having an angled edge. A removable binocular cartridge is also provided which is releasably mounted to the riser portion of a seating apparatus.

Description

BINOCULAR VENDING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Cross Reference to Related Application

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application Serial No. 08/099,960, filed July 30, 1993.

2. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for vending vision enhancing equipment, preferably binoculars, in spectator facilities.

3. Description of the Prior Art

Binoculars are widely used by spectators in large and small spectator facilities to enhance their view of events from seats which are removed from the activity being viewed. In the past, however, it has generally been necessary for spectators to bring their own binoculars. This usually creates a dilemma for the owner of the binoculars as it is bothersome to have to carry the binoculars to and from the facility and there is a chance that one's binoculars can be damaged or stolen during transit to and from the facility or during the event. There is also a limited space to store the binoculars and any case for them when the binoculars are not being used.

Although some facilities now rent binoculars, the cost is often quite high and requires a very large deposit. In addition, it requires the spectators to seek out the rental booth and often leave some form of identification or security with the renters. The rental also requires returning the binoculars af er the event when spectator traffic is often high and when time may be of the essence for avoiding spectator traffic.

In addition, there are many spectators who do not own a pair of binoculars, but would nevertheless like to use binoculars to enhance their viewing particular events. Indeed, some people have no need for a pair of binoculars, except when they are at a particular event or in a special location where they have a particular interest and, therefore, wish to have the enhanced vision through the use of a pair of binoculars. For example, a sports fan might have interest in several different spectator sports, but only have a desire to use a pair of binoculars to watch portions of one particular sport. An example of such a situation might be an individual who has courtside tickets for a basketball game, but sits in the outfield upper deck at a baseball game. It can also be appreciated that at many areas such as scenic overlooks of natural sites, there exists a need for fitting binoculars at such sites.

It can be appreciated that such vending apparatus should have rugged construction to withstand use at outdoor facilities and use and abuse by spectators. It can further be appreciated that such an apparatus should supply the binoculars on a tether and that should have a recoil which pulls the binoculars back to the vending apparatus when not used. Such a recoil should be reliable and easily used and actuated for repeated use. Such an apparatus should also include a reliable token mechanism which is used for vending the binoculars.

For repeated use of the binoculars, oils and other dirt would build up on the binoculars, making their use less attractive to spectators. It can be appreciated that if a protective sleeve could be provided, the hygiene associated with renting binoculars would also be improved, thereby enhancing their use.

Accordingly, a need exists for availability of binoculars for spectators watching events so that view of the events can be enhanced by using binoculars provided. The present invention provides a solution to these other problems and also offers other advantages over the prior art, and solves other problems associated therewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is object of the present invention to provide a convenient vending system in order to make binoculars available to patron and spectator facilities of all kinds where spectators may wish to have the ability to enhance their view of their surroundings or of the action in the facility during specific events. In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a novel binocular vending apparatus for attachment to a structure, preferably the bottom of a seat or a backside of a seat, or alternatively, the apparatus is integrally formed within the seat itself. The binocular vending apparatus of the present invention preferably comprises of a pair of binoculars and a housing for removably retaining the binoculars. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a frame and a mounting plate which is attachable to a structure, preferably the bottom of a seat or the backside of a seat, wherein the frame is mountable on the mounting plate when the mounting plate is attached to the structure. Alternatively, the binocular housing is disposed within an armrest or riser portion of a seat. In one embodiment, a removable cartridge containing the binoculars is releasably secured in a corresponding chamber of the riser.

Preferably, the binocular vending apparatus further comprises a tether which connects a pair of binoculars to the vending apparatus. The apparatus preferably includes a retractable door which blocks normal access to the housing when the door is in a closed position, take-up means for retracting the tether, token actuator means which preferably include size recognition means for recognizing tokens having a raised portion of a predetermined size so that only a correctly-sized token will actuate the token actuator means, and a take-up stop mechanism for preventing the take-up means from retracting the tether when the seat which is in a down position.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein like reference letters and numerals indicate corresponding elements throughout the several views:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a binocular vending apparatus in an open position with binoculars removed from a housing according to the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 in a closed position;

Figure 3 shows a front elevational view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 in a closed position;

Figure 4 shows a right side elevational view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 shows a left side elevational view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 6 shows a top plan view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 in the closed position;

Figure 7 shows a bottom plan view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 8 shows a rear elevational view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 9 shows a bottom portion of a seat and the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 with the mounting plate of the binocular vending apparatus shown;

Figure 10 shows a detailed sectional view of a lock portion for the mounting plate and the retainer member of the mounting plate;

Figure 11 shows a right end view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 with the exterior shell removed;

Figure 12 shows an exploded view of a re-coil apparatus for the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1; Figure 13 shows a perspective view of two tokens according to the principles of the present invention;

Figure 14 shows a top plan view of the token shown in Figure 13;

Figure 15 shows a front elevational view of the token shown in Figure 13;

Figure 16 shows a left side elevational view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1 with the outer shell removed;

Figure 17 is a front detailed view of the token- actuated mechanism for the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 18 is a sectional view of the token-actuated mechanism with the token a pre-actuated position;

Figure 19 shows a sectional view of the token-actuated mechanism with a token inserted in the mechanism actuated;

Figure 20 is a left-side detailed view of the plunger portion of the token-actuated mechanism shown in Figures 18 and

19;

Figure 21 shows a perspective view of a sizing member for the token-actuated mechanism shown in Figures 18 and 19;

Figure 22 is a perspective view of a token-retaining member for the token-actuated mechanism shown in Figures 18 and 19;

Figure 23 is a front detailed view of an actuation linkage shown in a pre-actuated position;

Figure 24 is a front sectional view of the actuation linkage of the token-actuated mechanism in an actuated position;

Figure 25 shows a front partial sectional view of the token-retaining member and locking mechanism for the token- actuated mechanism shown in Figures 18 and 19 in the unlocked position;

Figure 26 is a front partial sectional view of the token-retaining member and locking mechanism for the token- actuated mechanism shown in Figures 18 and 19 in the locked position;

Figure 27 is a sectional view of the re-coil apparatus- locking mechanism in the unlocked position;

Figure 28 is a sectional view of the re-coil apparatus- locking mechanism in the locked position;

Figure 29 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a binocular vending apparatus mounted in the arm rest portion of a seat;

Figure 30 is a side sectional view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 29 with the brake released;

Figure 31 is a side sectional view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 29 with the brake applied; and.

Figure 32 is a perspective view of the recoil mechanism for the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 29 with portions broken away.

Figure 33 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a binocular vending seating apparatus;

Figure 34 is a side sectional view of the binocular vending seating apparatus with the cartridge removed from the riser;

Figure 35 is a side sectional view of the binocular vending seating apparatus shown in Figure 33 with the door closed and the cartridge latch released;

Figure 36 is a side sectional view of the binocular vending apparatus shown in Figure 33 with the door open and the cartridge latch engaged;

Figure 37 is a side sectional view of a mock cartridge inserted in a riser;

Figure 38 is a side sectional view of the apparatus shown in Figure 37 with the mock cartridge and armrest members removed from the riser;

Figure 39 is a side elevational view of the recoil stop mechanism in the unlocked position; Figure 40 is a side elevational view of the recoil stop mechanism in the locked position;

Figure 41 is a side elevational view of the door lock and release mechanism in the locked position;

Figure 42 is a side elevational view of the door lock and release mechanism in the open position;

Figure 43 is a side elevational view of the door lock and release mechanism in the partially closed position;

Figure 44 is a perspective view of the latch cam; and

Figure 45 is a side sectional view of the cartridge showing the token retaining member and token stop.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views, and referring in particular to Figs. 1-8, a binocular vending apparatus 100 for attachment to a structure, preferably a bottom 106 of a seat 104 is shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Figs. 1-8, the binocular vending apparatus 100 includes an outer shell 108, a binocular housing 112, a retractable binocular housing door 114, and a door release button 116 having a slot 118 for receiving a token. The outer shell 108 includes a housing door opening 119, an opening 121 for the door release button, a token slot exit 126, an opening 123 for a lock mechanism 128, and an opening 125 for resetting the housing door 114.

Referring to Fig. 1, the binocular vending apparatus 100 includes binoculars 102. The binoculars 102 are removably retained in the binocular housing 112. The binoculars 102 are connected to an elongated cable 110, preferably a steel cable, which is connected to the housing 112 so that the binoculars 102 are tethered to the apparatus 100. The retractable housing door 114 blocks normal access to the binoculars 102 when the binoculars 102 are in the binocular housing 112 and the retractable door 114 is in the closed position as shown in Fig. 2. Referring now also to Figs. 8 and 9, the binocular vending apparatus 100 also includes a frame 120 and a mounting plate 130 which can be attached to the bottom 106 of a seat 104. The mounting plate 130 preferably has a substantially flat housing interface surface 131, but the opposite surface (not shown) which interfaces with the seat bottom 106 may have any conceivable size, shape, composition, or the like, which will enhance the interface with the seat bottom such that the mounting plate 130 remains firmly attached thereto. It will be appreciated that the mounting plate 130 may be bonded, fastened, clamped, integrally formed with the seat bottom 106, or the like. Preferably, the seat 104 to the which the mounting plate 130 is attached is a pivotal facility seat which is spring biased such that it will rise to an upright position when no one is sitting on the seat. It will be appreciated that the mounting plate 130 may also be attached to the back side of a seat or other structure (not shown) and will preferably have the same features as the housing interface surface 131 of the plate 130 showing Fig. 9. The other features, particularly those related to the interface with the structure will be varied from structure to structure as required.

The binocular vending apparatus 100 also includes a recoil mechanism 170 including a take-up spool 186 to which the cable 110 in connected. The take-up spool 186 is spring biased so that it can pick up slack in the cable 110 when the cable is unrestrained and, preferably, when the seat 104 is in an upright position as shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, when the binoculars 102 are returned to the binocular housing 112, the cable 110 is gathered or wound upon the take-up spool 186.

In its general operation, the binocular vending apparatus 100 is ready for vending binoculars 102 to spectators in spectator facilities when the cable 112 is taken up on the take-up spool 186, the binoculars 102 are in the binocular housing 112, the retractable housing door 114 is in a closed position, and the housing frame 120 is mounted on the mounting plate 130 which is attached to the bottom 106 of a seat 104 which is preferably pivotable such that the binocular vending apparatus 102 can be easily accessed when the seat 104 is in the upright position, or to a backside of a seat which is generally in an upright, i.e., substantially vertical position. Alternatively, this machine may be mounted to a pedestal (not shown) in areas for standing room only. As a spectator or patron comes to the facility, the patron will have an opportunity to purchase a token 218 from a token vendor or token vending machine in the facility. In order to obtain access to the binoculars 102 in the binocular housing 112, the patron inserts the token 218 into the entrance 124 of the token receiving slot 118 in the door release button 116. After the token 218 has been inserted in the token- receiving slot 118, the door release button 116 is depressed thereby actuating a token-actuator mechanism 230 (see Fig. 17) to release the retractable housing door 114 which is spring biased so that it moves from the closed position shown in Fig. 2 to the open position shown in Fig. 1 wherein the binoculars 102 are easily accessible in the binocular housing 112. The patron can then reach into the housing 112 and remove the tethered binoculars 102, thereby withdrawing the cable 110 from the housing 112 as the binoculars 102 are withdrawn. A preferred embodiment of the binocular vending apparatus 100 mounted on a pivotal seat 104 includes a stop device 196 (shown generally in Figs. 27-28). As further explained herein, the stop device 196 acts to prevent the spring biased take-up spool 186 from retracting the cable 110 when the cable is withdrawn and the pivotal seat 104 is in the down position. This enables the patron to use the binoculars 102 without having to also strain against the cable 112 and the force of the spring biasing effect of the take-up spool 186. A stop device (not shown) can also be provided if the binocular vending apparatus is attached to other structures but these mechanisms would have different features, including the door release mechanisms and the like. The binoculars 102 are preferably good binoculars which provide the patron or spectator with a good view of the events taking place in the respective facility, race track, sports center or the like. The binoculars preferably are 7 power X 50 mm (7 X 50). It will be appreciated that any other binoculars can be provided, for instance, 5 X 25, or 8 X 55 can also be used. Low power binoculars are often ideal for the opera, concerts, speaking events and the like. Additionally, the binoculars are preferably of a rugged construction which enables the binoculars to withstand use at outdoor facilities and use and abuse by spectators.

As shown in Figs. 13-15, the token 218 is generally disk-shaped and includes a base 220 and a raised portion 222. The raised portion 222 includes a beveled or angled edge 224. The tokens 218 are preferably constructed of brass. It will be appreciated, however, that any suitable material which is known in the art can be used to the make the tokens. Preferably, the token also includes a hollow portion 228 located within base 220 opposite the raised portion 222 of the token 218. The hollow portion 228 corresponds to the size of the raised portion 222 so that the tokens 218 may be stacked as illustrated in Fig. 13. This allows for easy storage of the tokens.

With the token 218 having the raised portion 222, the token slot 118 within the vending apparatus 100 is correspondingly shaped having a wide portion 148 for the base 220 and a narrow portion 147 for the raised portion 222. Thus, the token 218 may only be inserted in the slot 118 in the on orientation which ensures that the token 218 is in the correct orientation with respect to the elements of the token-actuator mechanism 230.

Mounting Apparatus

Referring now to Figs. 8-10, there is shown an improved mounting apparatus for the present invention. As shown in Fig. 9, the binocular vending apparatus 100 mounts to a seat bottom 106. A mounting plate 130 is attached to the seat bottom 106 and a complementary mounting member 132 mounts to the binocular vending apparatus 100. The mounting member 132 mounts on the mounting plate 130 to retain the vending apparatus 100 against the seat 104. As shown in Fig. 8, the mounting member 132 includes an edge portion 136. The edge portion 136 is raised above the planar surface of the mounting member 132 and projects inward over the planar surface of the mounting member 132. The edge portion 136 is tapered inward slightly along its sides, tapering at an angle of 2° in a preferred embodiment for improved alignment for attaching to and removing from the mounting plate 130.

In a similar manner, the mounting plate 130 includes an edge portion 134 with a projecting angled portion 144. The mounting plate edge portion 134 is also tapered to accept the mounting member edge 136. As shown in Fig. 10, the edge portion 144 of the mounting plate engages the edge portion 142 of the mounting member. The mounting member 132 slides onto the mounting plate 130 so that the edge surfaces 142 and 144 engage to retain the vending apparatus 100 against the seat bottom 106.

As also shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the mounting member 132 includes a spring-loaded restraining pin 140 extending upward from the surface of the mounting member. The pin 140 is depressed as the mounting member 132 is slid onto the mounting plate 130. The pin 140 aligns with a corresponding orifice 138 in the mounting plate 130. It can be appreciated that when the restraining pin 140 is inserted into the orifice 138, the mounting plate 130 and mounting member 132 cannot be slid relative to one another.

As shown in Fig. 10, the restraining pin 140 can be lowered with the locking mechanism 128. The locking mechanism 128 includes a lock cylinder 306 which rotates. The cylinder 306 includes an arm 308 extending therefrom. The restraining member 140 is biased upward by a spring 304 engaging clips 302 on the restraining member 140. When the lock cylinder 306 is rotated clockwise with a key (not shown), the arm 308 engages the edges of the clips 302 and pushes the retaining member 140 downward below the surface of the mounting member 132. At this position, the mounting member 132 may be slid off and removed from the mounting plate 130.

Door Lock and Release Mechanism

Referring now to Figs. 11 and 16, there is shown the door lock and release mechanism 150 for door 114. In its closed position, the door 114 is retained by restraining members 156 extending on either side of the door which engage tabs 158 on the door. The door 114 is normally urged toward its open position by a spring 152 connecting the door to the housing but is prevented from opening by the restraining members 156. In its normally closed position, the restraining members 156 are urged upward by a spring 160 pressing against washers 162. Each restraining member 156 inserts through and is aligned by a mounting member 154 attached to the frame 120. A linking cable 164 extends from the restraining member 156 to a door release bar 166 which is pivotally mounted below the housing 112. An end cap 172 is utilized to secure the linking cable 164 to the door release bar 166. Referring to Fig. 16, the release bar 166 includes an extension member 168 on the left side of the housing 112 extending upward through a slot in the upper linkage member 240, as shown in Fig. 17.

It can be appreciated that when the token 218 is inserted and the plunger 238 is depressed, as explained below, linkage member 240 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 17 to that shown in Fig. 19. This movement acts on extension member 168 and connecting bar 166 to pull on cable 164. The retaining pin 156 is therefore pulled downward and disengages the tabs 158 and the spring 152 pulls the door 114 to an open position.

It can be appreciated that the door is reset by forcing the tabs 158 with an angled edge portion past the pins 156. In the preferred embodiment, an orifice 125 in the shell 108 allows for insertion of a rod or other instrument to push the door to the closed position. However, it can be appreciated that other methods and apparatuses can be utilized for closing the door 114.

Recoil Mechanism

Referring to Fig. 12, a recoil mechanism 170 for the cable is shown. The mechanism 170 includes axle 172 retaining ball bearings 174 for smoother rotation. A cylindrical outer housing 204 retains the components of the recoil mechanism 170. A spool 186 inserts over the axle 172 and is retained at both ends by end plates 188 and washer 190. Clips 176 retain the axle 172 relative to the other elements. At a first end, a coiled spring 176 is retained by end member 180 and spring-engaging member 182. Spring-retaining member 182 has a slot 184 for accepting an end portion of the spring 176. This urges the spool 186 to rotate in a first direction for recoiling cable on the spool, as explained hereinafter. At a second end of the spool 186 is end member 192 which includes a groove 194 formed therein with inner and outer annular walls. A recoil stop device 196 mounts over the end of member 192. The recoil stop device 196 includes a pivoting weight 198 connecting to cover member 200 and a guide member 202 which inserts intc the groove 194, as shown in Figs. 27 and 28. When assembled, the clips retain the spool end plates 188 and the slotted portions of the axle 172 extend through end members 180 and 192. A guide member 206 inserts into orifice 210 through the recoil housing 204 to engage the grooves of the spool 186. An orifice 212 is formed in the outer housing 204 to allow cable to feed therethrough.

In operation, cable is wound on the spool 186 and rests in the helical groove formed thereon. The guide member 206 rests in the helical groove of the spool 186 and is retained by the side portions of the grooves. It can be appreciated that as the spool 186 rotates, the helical groove rides along the guide member 206 and forces the spool 186 to move axially along the shaft 174. In this manner, cable is wound and unwound onto the groove, always feeding through the orifice 212 over the spool 186 while winding progressively down the spool 186. In this manner, the cable does not need to be moved up and down axially along the spool, as the spool 187 moves relative to the feed point of the cable. This provides for better winding and unwinding and reduces the possibility of the cable jamming.

The recoil stop device 196 operates as shown in Figs. 27 and 28. When the seat 104 is raised so that the seat bottom 106 is substantially vertical, the pivoting weight 198 hangs in the position shown in Fig. 27. At this position, the stop member 202 is disposed in the groove 194 with its lengthwise portion extending substantially along the tangential annular direction of the groove 194. It can be appreciated that at this position, the stop member 202 does not engage either the inner or outer wall of the groove so that the recoil apparatus is free to rotate in either direction without resistance from the stop member 202.

When the vending apparatus 100 is tilted downward with the seat bottom 106 in a lowered position, the weight 198 swings to the position shown in Fig. 28. It can be appreciated that this rotates the stop member 202 to a tilted position relative to a direction tangent with the interior wall of the groove 194. In this position, the corner portions of the stop member 202 engage one or both of the inner and outer walls of the groove 194. As shown, a corner of the stop member 202 engages the inner wall of the groove 194. This prevents rotation clockwise in the view shown so that the apparatus will not recoil from the tension applied by the spring 176. However, in this position, the corners do not "dig in" to the groove inner or outer walls to resist counterclockwise rotation which provides for unwinding additional cable from the spool 180. It can be appreciated that with the weighted member 198, the stop mechanism 196 allows the user to freely pull cable from the apparatus 100 when sitting in a seat but provides for automatically recoiling the cable when the user has stood up. In this manner, when the occupant has left his or her seat, the apparatus 100 will automatically recoil so that the binocular is retracted back to the housing 112 and the aisle in front of the seat remains clear and unobstructed. Token-Actuator Mechanism Referring now to Figs. 17-26, there is shown the general operation of the token-actuator mechanism 230. The token-actuator mechanism 230 includes an actuator housing 232 which is secured to the frame 120 of the binocular vending apparatus 100. The actuator housing 232 includes a slot 118 which runs the length of the housing and is sized to receive a token 218 having a raised portion 222. Referring now to Figs. 18-19, the binocular vending apparatus 100 is operated by inserting a token 218 into the token-actuator mechanism 230 so that the raised portion 222 of the token 218 is aligned with the narrow portion 147 of the token slot 118. When the token 218 is inserted into the token slot 118, the seat bottom 106, to which the vending apparatus 100 is interconnected is preferably in an upright position. When the seat bottom 106 is in such a position, the force of gravity will carry the token 218 to a first position (as occupied by the token 218 shown within the slot 118 of the actuator housing 232 as illustrated in Fig. 18). It will be appreciated that while the token slot is preferably oriented in a substantially upright position when the token in inserted, it is not essential that the slot be in a substantially upright position. As long as the slot 118 is positioned at an angle in which the force of gravity will move the token downward within the slot, the token-actuator mechanism 230 will function properly.

The token-actuator mechanism includes a token sizing member 234 which is designed to recognize the size of the token inserted in the slot 118 so that the sizing member 234 actuates the door release mechanism 150 only when a correctly-sized token 218 is inserted in the slot 118. The sizing member 234 includes a shaft portion 264 which is rotatably disposed within the actuator housing 232. As shown in Fig. 21, the sizing member 234 also includes a shelf portion 268 having an edge 270 with a channel 272 having sidewalls 274 cut out of the edge 270. A retaining clip 266 is secured to the shaft 264 so that when the sizing member 234 is disposed within the actuator housing 232, the channel 272 of the sizing member 234 is disposed within the narrow portion 147 of the slot 118.

When the token 218 is inserted into the slot 118 of the token-actuator mechanism 230, the sizing member 234 is positioned so that the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 are disposed substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the slot 118. The channel 272 is dimensioned such that the sidewalls 274 contact and retain the raised position 222 of the token 218 when the token is inserted in the slot 118. More particularly, the raised portion 222 of the token 218 is dimensioned to have a particular height (H) , width (W) and angled edge (Θ) so that the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 contact the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 when the token is inserted in the slot 118. With the token 218 retained in this first position in contact with the sizing member 234, the token-actuator mechanism 230 is now ready to be actuated to determine if the raised portion 222 of the token has the correct dimensions.

It is appreciated that the sizing member 234 only extends into the narrow portion 147 of the slot 118. Thus, the wide portion 148 of the slot which corresponds to the base portion 220 of the token 218 is generally free of obstruction such that if a token having a generally disk-shaped body without a raised portion is inserted in the slot 118, such a token will simply slide down the slot without engaging the sizing member and subsequently exit out the exit 126 of the slot 118. This prevents a person from jamming the token-actuator mechanism 230 with a disk-shaped token not having a raised portion.

The token-actuator mechanism 230 includes a plunger 238 which is provided to exert a force against the token 218 when the token is retained by the sizing member 234 within the slot 118 so that the sizing member 234 may recognize whether the token 218 has a correctly-sized raised portion 222. The plunger 238 includes a base member 246 which is disposed within the actuator housing 232 adjacent the slot 118. The plunger 238 is moveable between an upper position and lower position and includes a plunger tab 258 and spring 260 such that the plunger is biased toward the upper position as shown in Fig. 20. The plunger 238 includes an extension member having a beveled edge 250 and cam edge 252 which extend into the wide portion 148 of the slot 118. The extension member 248 is pivotally connected to the base member 246 through a pin 254 so that the extension member 248 pivots between a first position in which the extension member extends into the wide portion 148 of the slot 118 and a second position in which the extension member is disposed outside of the slot 118. A spring 256 is disposed between the base member 246 and extension member 248 to bias the extension member 248 into the first position where the beveled edge 250 and cam edge 252 extend within the wide portion 148 of the slot 118.

When the token 218 is inserted in the slot 118, the token slides down the slot until it contacts the beveled edge 250 of the extension member 248. The weight of the token 218 is such that the extension member 248 is pivoted out of the slot 118 so that the token continues along the slot past the extension member 248. Once the token 218 has moved down the slot past the extension member 248, the spring 256 pivots the extension member 248 so that the cam edge 252 of the extension member 248 extends within the wide portion 148 of the slot 118. After the token 218 slides past the extension member 148 of the plunger 238, the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 of the token 218 engages the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 of the sizing member 234 so that the token is retained within the slot 118 as shown in Fig. 18. In this position, the plunger 238 which is connected to the door release button 146 is now depressed. As the plunger 238 is depressed, the cam edge 252 of the extension member 248 contacts the edge 226 of the base 220 of the token and forces the token 218 further down the slot 118. As the plunger 238 forces the token 218 down the slot 118, the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 exerts a force on the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 which serves to rotate the sizing member 234. The angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 continues to engage the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 until the sizing member 234 is rotated to a second position as shown in Fig. 19. At this point, the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 disengages the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 thus allowing the token to slide further down the slot 118. The sizing member 234 is connected to a upper linkage member 240 which is connected to the door lock and release mechanism 150. When the sizing member 234 is rotated to the second position as shown in Fig. 19, the door release mechanism 150 operates to release to the retractable door 114 from the closed position to the open position thus allowing access to the binoculars 102.

The door release mechanism 150 biases the sizing member 234 through the upper linkage member 240 into the first position as shown in Fig. 18. The sizing member 234 must be.rotated to the second position as shown in Fig. 19 for the door release mechanism to operate. It will be appreciated that if a token having an incorrectly-sized raised portion is inserted in the slot 118, the sizing member 234 will not be rotated to the second position to allow the door release mechanism to operate. For example, if the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 of the token is too flat, the angled edge 224 will engage the sidewalls 274 of the channel 272 but the angled edge will subsequently disengage from the sizing member 234 without the sizing member being fully rotated to the second position. In such a case, the door release mechanism will not operate, the sizing member 234 will rotate back to the first position, and the token will continue down the slot and out the exit of the slot 118. Also, if a token is inserted having a raised portion without a beveled edge, the raised portion will engage the edge 270 of the shelf 268 of the sizing member 234, but the sizing member 234 will not fully rotate to the second position and the door release mechanism 150 will not be operated. Thus, with this sizing member 234 designed to recognize a token having a raised portion with a particular height, width and angled edge, a counterfeit token which is manufactured with a raised portion having different dimensions than the token designed for use in the device will not operate the door release mechanism. It will be appreciated that by varying the height (h) , width (w) and angle (θ) of the angled edge 224 of the raised portion 222 of the token 218, numerous variations may be utilized for engagement with the sizing member 234 to actuate the door-release mechanism. In the preferred embodiment, the angle of the angled edge is 45°.

Preferably, the token-actuator mechanism 230 includes a token retainer member 236 for retaining the token within the actuator housing 232 after a correctly-sized token has been recognized by the sizing member 234. The token retainer member 236 includes a retainer shaft 278 having a retainer opening 282 surrounded by retainer walls 284. The retainer member 236 is disposed within the actuator housing 232 at a point further down the slot 118 from the sizing member 234. The retainer shaft 278 includes a retainer clip 280 so that the retainer opening 282 and walls 284 are disposed within the slot 118. The token retainer member 236 is rotatable between a first position in which the retainer opening 282 is generally aligned with the slot 118 such that a token may pass through the retainer member and out the exit 126 of the slot 118 (as shown in Fig. 18) and a second position in which the retainer walls 284 are positioned substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the slot 118 thus blocking the slot 118 so that a token may not pass through the retainer member 236 (as shown in Fig. 19).

The retainer member 236 also includes a lower linkage member 242 which is interconnected with the upper linkage member 240 of the sizing member 234 through a linking bar 244. When the sizing member 234 is in the first position where it engages and retains a token 218 inserted in the slot 118, the retainer member 236 is disposed in the position in which the retainer opening is aligned with the slot to allow a token to pass through the retainer member. As shown in Fig. 19, when the sizing member is rotated to the second position in which the door release mechanism 150 is operated, the linking bar 244 rotates the retainer member 236 to the position in which the retainer walls 234 obstruct the slot to retain the token 218 within the actuator housing 232.

The token-actuator mechanism 230 includes a retainer lock mechanism 290 so that when the retainer member 236 is rotated to the second position to obstruct the slot and retain the token within the actuator housing, the retainer member 236 is locked in this second position. Generally, the retainer lock mechanism 290 includes a lock plunger 292 having a head 296 and stem 294 as illustrated in Figs. 25 and 26. A clip 298 is secured to the plunger 292 for engagement with a spring 300 which biases the plunger in a direction away from the retainer member 236. The retainer member 236 includes a bottom portion which engages the lock mechanism 290. In particular, the bottom portion of the retainer member 236 includes an end cap 279 having a notch 288 in the edge of the end cap and a grove 286. As illustrated in Figs. 23 and 25, when the retainer member 236 is in the first open position, the head 296 of the lock plunger 292 is disposed within the grove 286 of the retainer member 236 so that the retainer members is permitted to rotate. As the retainer member is rotated to the second closed position, the notch 288 of the end cap 279 is rotated into alignment with the plunger head 296 so that the lock plunger 292 then moves downward under the force of the biasing spring 300 to lock the retainer member 236 in the second closed position as illustrated in Figs. 24 and 26.

It will be appreciated that when the retainer member is locked in the closed position as illustrated in Fig. 19, the door release mechanism 150 is maintained in an unlocked position so that the door 114 may not be reset into the locked position. In this way, a spectator who has inserted a correctly-sized token in the apparatus 100 and subsequently actuated the token-actuator mechanism to release the retractable door may not accidentally reset the retractable door 114 into a locked position. Rather, with the token-actuator mechanism 230 loc'ked in the second position in which the retainer member 236 retains the token within the actuator housing 232, the door may not be reset until the retainer lock mechanism 290 is actuated to release the retainer member which then rotates back to the first open position. At this time, the token 218 retained within the housing exits out the bottom of the slot 118 and the retractable door 114 may then be reset into the locked position.

Preferably, a lock cylinder 306 is provided to release the retainer member from the second locked position. As shown in Fig. 10, the lock cylinder 306 having an arm 308 is rotatably disposed adjacent the retainer lock mechanism 290. The lock cylinder 306 is designed for use with a key (not shown) which engages the lock cylinder 306 to rotate the arm 308. In order to release the retainer lock mechanism from the second locked position, the key engages the lock cylinder to rotate the arm in a counter-clockwise position toward the retainer lock mechanism. The arm 308 engages an edge of the clip 302 on the lock plunger 292 and forces the lock plunger 292 upward so that the head 296 is moved out of engagement with the notch 288 of the end cap 279 and into the grove 286 of the retainer shaft 278. As the head 296 of the lock plunger 292 enters the grove 286 of the retainer shaft 278, the retainer member 236 is then permitted to rotate back to the first open position under the bias of the door release mechanism 150 and the token retained within the actuator housing 232 is then permitted to pass through the retainer member and out the exit 126 of the slot 118. In this way, after a spectator has used the binoculars, a worker may come around and utilize a key to release the retainer member from the locked position to obtain the token, at which point the worker may then reset the housing door 114 to the locked position so that another spectator may then utilize the vending apparatus 100. Although the present invention provides a token-actuator mechanism to actuate the door release mechanism which utilizes a token with a raised portion having a predetermined size and shape, it is appreciated that a variety of different token-actuator mechanisms or other devices may be utilized with the present invention to selectively permit access to the binoculars within the apparatus.

ARM-REST MOUNTED VENDING DEVICE

Referring now to Fig. 29, there is shown an alternate embodiment of a binocular vending device, generally designated 500, mounted on an arm rest 504 of a seat 502. The arm rest 504 includes a riser portion 506 extending from the ground to the top of the arm rest. In the embodiment shown, the binocular vending device is in the arm rest riser 506. An opening 510 is formed in a front portion of the arm rest 504 with a sliding door 512 to a binocular housing 518. With this arrangement, binoculars 102 may be pulled on cable 110 out the front of the arm rest 504.

Referring to Fig. 30, the vending device mechanisms are housed within the arm rest 504. A token actuator mechanism 514, similar to the token-actuator mechanism 230, is positioned at the rear of the arm rest 504. A slot 528 and button 530 are easily accessible and actuated on the top of the arm rest, as shown in Fig. 29. The actuator mechanism 514 is connected by linkage 524 connecting to a door retainer 526. It can be appreciated that when a correctly-sized token is inserted into actuator mechanism 514 and the button 530 is depressed, the linkage 524 is actuated and the retainer 526 is pulled from engagement with the door 512. This allows the door 512 to fall to an open position and a user to access the binoculars 102.

The binoculars 102 are attached on the cable 110 to a recoil mechanism 516, as also shown in Fig. 31. The 110 cable feeds through the housing 518 to provide sufficient length for use by a user. The recoil 518 applies constant tension to the cable 110 so that the binoculars 102 will be retracted. Preferably, a brake 522 may be engaged to halt retraction of the, cable 110, so that a user does not have constant tension applied while holding the binoculars.

In a preferred embodiment, the brake 552 pinches the cable 110 against a brake pad 532 or other internal structure to prevent retraction of the cable 110. The brake 552 is rotatably mounted with seat bottom 508. It can be appreciated that with this arrangement, when the user is seated and the seat bottom 508 is lowered, as shown in Fig. 31, the brake 522 engages the cable 110, thereby preventing the recoil mechanism 516 from retracting cable 110.

When the seat bottom 508 is raised, as shown in Fig. 30, the brake 522 releases the cable 110. Thereby allowing the recoil 516 to retract the cable 110.

Referring now to Fig. 33, there is shown an alternative binocular vending seating apparatus, generally designated 600. The apparatus includes a riser 610, a seat member (such as shown in Fig. 29 at 508) and a binocular cartridge 700. The seat member is pivotably mounted between the seat mounting tubes 628 of adjacent risers 610. The cartridge 700 includes a base 702, binocular support member 704, and a retractable door 720. The riser 610 includes a cartridge chamber 620 which is designed to receive a portion of the cartridge 700 and also preferably has an armrest member 612 which inserts onto the top portion of the riser 610.

The cartridge chamber 620 includes an outer edge 622 which preferably extends inward to form a binocular access portion 624. It will be appreciated that this binocular access portion 624 makes it easier for a person sitting in the seat to remove the binoculars from the cartridge secured within the cartridge chamber 620. The cartridge door 720 correspondingly includes door side members 722 which enclose the binocular access portion 624 of the cartridge chamber 620 when the door 720 is in the closed position to prevent access to binoculars in the cartridge as shown in Fig. 35.

The cartridge 700 is designed to be releasably mountable within the cartridge chamber 620 of the riser 610. The cartridge base 702 includes opposing channels 706 which are adapted to receive corresponding cartridge mounting brackets 626 which are secured to the inner walls of the riser 610. The cartridge 610 is inserted in the cartridge chamber 620 of the riser so that the cartridge mounting brackets 622 are aligned within the opposite channels 706 of the base 702 as shown in Fig, 36.

As the cartridge is inserted within the cartridge chamber 620, a cartridge latch and release mechanism 640 is provided to releasably secure the cartridge to the riser 610. In a preferred embodiment, the cartridge release mechanism 640 includes a latch housing 642 which is positioned within the riser 610 at a position just below the cartridge mounting brackets 626. A latch 650 is pivotably disposed within the latch slot 644 of the housing 642. One end of the latch forms a retaining member 652 with a camming end portion 654 at the opposite end of the latch 650. A latch spring 658 is disposed within the slot 644 to bias the latch upward so that the retaining member 652 extends into a position for engagement with the cartridge base 702. The camming portion 654 of the latch 650 is disposed against a latch cam member 646 disposed within the latch housing 642. The latch cam 646 includes a camming ramp 648 such that the camming end 654 of the latch rests against the camming ramp 648. In this position, rotation of the latch cam 646 forces the camming end of the latch along the camming ramp 648.

As shown in Fig. 34, the latch mechanism 640 is normally set in a latching position with the camming end 654 of the latch 650 resting on a lower portion of the camming ramp 648 so that the latch spring 658 biases the retaining member 652 in a position for engagement with the cartridge base 702. With the cartridge latch and release mechanism 640 in this latching position, the cartridge is inserted in the riser 610. As the cartridge base 702 slides along the cartridge mounting brackets 626, the cartridge base contacts an angled portion 653 of the retaining member 652 to force the retaining member 652 below the cartridge base 702. The cartridge base 702 includes a locking cavity 703 which is adapted to receive the retaining member 652 of the latch 650. As the cartridge 702 is slid to its mounting position within the cartridge chamber 620, the retaining member 652 pops into the locking cavity 703 of the base to lock the cartridge in place.

To release the cartridge from its locked position within the riser 610, the cartridge release mechanism includes a latch actuation shaft 660 which is secured to the latch cam 646. As the latch activation shaft 660 is rotated in a particular direction, the camming end 654 of the latch 650 rides up the camming ramp 648 of the latch cam 646 to a position as shown in Fig. 35. In this release position, the retaining member 652 of the latch 650 is pivoted downward and out of engagement with the locking cavity 703 of the cartridge base 702. The cartridge 700 can now be removed from the cartridge chamber 620 of the riser 610 by sliding the cartridge base 702 out from the cartridge mounting brackets 626. After the cartridge is removed from the cartridge chamber 620, the latch actuation shaft 660 is now rotated back to its original latching position as shown in Fig. 34 so that a cartridge may again be inserted within the riser 610 and locked in place. It is appreciated that various other latch and release mechanisms may be utilized to releasably secure the cartridge 700 within the cartridge chamber 620 of the riser 610.

In a preferred embodiment, a dummy or mock cartridge 800 is provided so that when it is not desired to have binoculars available for use, the mock cartridge 800 can be inserted within the riser 610. The mock cartridge 800 includes a base 802 which is similar in design to the base 702 of the binocular cartridge 700 and an outer shell 804 which generally conforms to the outer edge 622 of the riser 610 as shown in Fig 38. The mock cartridge is inserted within the riser and includes a locking cavity 803 so that the mock cartridge can be releasably secured within the cartridge chamber 620 of the riser 610. It is appreciated that the mock cartridge provides an aesthetically pleasing surface for the front portion of the riser 610. Also, the mock cartridge gives the management of a spectator facility the flexibility to selectively determine when it is desirable to have binoculars available to patrons in the facility. For example, it may be desirable for a particular event for only a portion of the facility to have binoculars available for use. In such a case, the binocular cartridges 700 are inserted within the risers 610 of the portion of the facility where binoculars are desired to be available while mock cartridges 800 are inserted in the remaining risers where availability of binoculars is not required. Alternatively, an owner of several spectator facilities may require binoculars to be available in different locations at different times. Thus, the binocular cartridges may be removed from one spectator facility and inserted in the risers of another spectator facility which requires to have binoculars available for the spectators at a particular event. Meanwhile, mock cartridges 800 may be inserted in the other spectator facility which doesn't require the use of the binoculars at the same particular time. Thus, this removable cartridge system for vending binoculars provides a spectator facility with much flexibility for determining when binoculars are to be available for spectators.

Referring now to preferred components of the binocular cartridge 760, the door 720 is pivotally connected to door side brackets 708, 710 which are secured to the cartridge base 702. As shown in Fig. 35, a door lever arm 730 is secured to the door 720 to pivot the door between the closed and open position. In a preferred embodiment, the door lever arm 730 and the door side bracket 710 adjacent the lever arm are disposed in a planer orientation. To achieve this result, the door side bracket 710 forms a hook shape portion 712 adjacent the door pivot 726. The cut out portion 712 formed by the hook portion is adapted to receive the crescent-shape upper portion of the door lever arm 730 when the door in is the closed position. As the lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm is pulled downward, the upper pivot 732 of the door lever arm 730 rotates around the door pivot 726 to rotate the door to the open position as shown in Fig. 36. It is appreciated that by positioning the door lever arm 730 planer to the door side bracket 710, the required width of the binocular cartridge is reduced which corresponding reduces the required width of the riser 610. This is important as it is desireable for a spectator facility to minimize the width of the risers so that the maximum number of seats can be placed in a given area. Of course, if the width of the riser is not considered critical, numerous other types of mechanisms may be utilized to pivot the door between the closed and open position.

A door lock and release mechanism 740 is preferably provided for securing the cartridge door 720 in the closed position and subsequently permitting the release of the door to the open position. As shown in Fig. 41, the door lock and release mechanism 740 includes a door reset rod 742 which is pivotally connected to the lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm 730 and is disposed in a reset shaft 744 in the cartridge housing 701. A door release spring 746 is disposed in a slot 748 adjacent the door reset rod 742 and biases the reset rod in a downward direction. The door reset rod 742 also includes a lock slot 750 adapted for receiving a sliding lock pin 752 disposed within the cartridge housing 701 adjacent the reset rod. A compression spring 754 is provided to bias the sliding lock pin 752 into engagement with the reset rod 742.

To lock the cartridge door 720 in the closed position, the reset rod 742 is pushed up the reset shaft 744 so that the lock slot 750 is positioned adjacent the sliding lock pin 752. As shown in Fig. 41, the compression spring 754 then forces the sliding lock pin 752 into the lock slot 750 to secure the reset rod 742 in this upper position within the reset shaft 744. The lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm 730 is correspondingly moved to an upper position which rotates the upper pivot 732 of the door lever arm 730 about the door pivot 726 to rotate the door to the closed position as shown in Fig. 35. To release the door to allow access to the binoculars, the sliding lock pin 752 is retracted out of the lock slot 750 of the reset rod 742 so that the door release spring 746 pulls the reset rod down the reset shaft to a lower position. This downward movement of the door reset rod 742 correspondingly pulls the lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm to a lower position as shown in Fig. 42. Accordingly, the upper pivot 732 of the door lever arm 730 is thus rotated back around the door pivot 726 which rotates the door 720 to the open position.

In a preferred embodiment, the door lock and release mechanism 740 is designed to prevent a person from relocking the cartridge door 720 once the door release mechanism has moved the door to the open position. To accomplish this result, the lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm 730 is slidingly disposed in a slot 756 in the door reset rod 742. After the door 720 has been opened, if a person attempts to close the door, the lower pivot 732 of the door lever arm 730 will be raised within the reset shaft 744 to a position where the lower pivot 734 is disposed against the top of the slot 742 as shown in Fig. 43. In this position, the lock slot 750 of the reset rod 742 is still below the point where the sliding lock pin 752 engages the reset rod 742 and thus the door cannot be relocked. Rather, once the person releases the door from the closed position, the door release spring 746 pulls the reset rod 742 down the reset shaft 744 which consequently rotates the door 720 back to the open position. In order for the door to be reset in the closed position once it has been opened, the reset rod 742 must be pushed upward so that the lower pivot 734 of the door lever arm 730 is disposed against the bottom of the slot 756 in the reset rod 742 as shown in Fig. 41. Only at this position does the lock slot 756 of the reset rod 742 receive the sliding lock pin 752 to lock the reset rod 742 in the upper position. To reset the door to this locked position, the reset rod shaft 744 includes a reset access 758 so that a worker can insert a device up the shaft access 758 to force the reset rod 742 to the upper locked position. It is appreciated that this arrangement prevents a spectator using the binoculars from accidentally relocking the cartridge door once the spectator has opened the door. Rather, only a person (i.e., an authorized worker) with knowledge of the reset shaft access 758 can reset the door to the closed and locked position.

The binocular cartridge 700 preferably includes a mechanism for actuating the door lock and release mechanism. In a preferred embodiment, a token-actuator mechanism 760 is provided to actuate the door lock and release mechanism 740. Similar to the token-actuator mechanism 230 as described above, the token-actuator mechanism 760 includes a push button 762 and a token-actuator housing 764 which is disposed in the front portion of the cartridge housing 701 so that the token slot and push button 762 are easily accessible by a spectator wishing to access the binoculars within the riser. Similar to the token-actuator mechanism 230 described above, a correctly-sized token is inserted into the token-actuator mechanism 760 and the push button 762 is depressed. At this point, the token sizing member (not shown) which is connected by a linkage member to the sliding lock pin 752 of the door lock and release mechanism 740 is rotated as the correctly-sized token engages the token sizing member. The rotation of the token sizing member serves to pull the sliding lock pin 752 out of engagement with the lock slot 750 of the door reset rod 742 so that the door 720 is subsequently rotated to the open position allowing the spectator access to the binocular as shown in Fig. 36. It is appreciated that various other token mechanism or other devices may be used to actuate the door lock and release mechanism.

As shown in Fig. 45, the token-actuator mechanism preferably includes a token retainer member 768 for housing the token after it has actuated the token sizing member. The token retainer member includes a token slot 770 formed within the cartridge housing 701 and designed to receive a correctly-sized token. The token retaining member 768 includes a token exit 772 to allow for the removal of the tokens. Preferably, a token stop 774 is provided to retain the tokens within the token retainer member 768 until it is desired to remove the tokens from the cartridge 700. The token stop 774 consists of a stop pin 776 which is inserted into the token slot 770 of the token retaining member 768 so that as a token falls down the token slot 770, the stop pin 776 engages the token to retain the token within the token retaining member 768. As shown in Fig. 45, the token retainer member is sized to hold several tokens 779 so that it is not necessary to remove the token from the token retaining member 768 after every use of the binocular cartridge. To remove the tokens from the token retaining member 768, the token pin 776 is withdrawn from the token slot 770 so that the tokens 779 then fall out the token exit 772. It is appreciated that a token bank (not shown) can be provided to engage the token exit so that the tokens fall from the token slot directly into the token bank when the tokens are removed from the binocular cartridge 700.

In a preferred embodiment, the token stop 774 is cooperatively connected to the latch actuation shaft 660 so that rotation of the shaft 660 in opposite directions will either actuate the cartridge release mechanism 640 so the cartridge 700 can be removed from the riser 610 or actuate the token stop 774 to remove the token pin 776 from the token slot 770 so the tokens can be removed. As shown in Fig. 45, the token stop includes the token pin 774 which is connected by a cable 776 to a token release cam 778 secured to the actuation shaft 660. In the normal token retaining position, a compression spring 775 biases the token stop pin 774 into the token slot 770 to retain the tokens within the slot. To empty the tokens from the token retainer member, the actuation shaft 660 is rotated in a first direction so the token release cam 778 is rotated away from the token pin 776. As the token release cam 778 is rotated, the cable 776 pulls the token pin out of engagement with the token slot 770 so the tokens 779 can be removed. It can be appreciated that when the actuation shaft 660 is rotated in the second opposite direction, the token release cam 778 is rotated toward the token pin 776 and the cable 776 goes slack without affecting the position of the token pin 776 biased into the token slot 770.

With respect to the cartridge release mechanism, the latch cam 646 is corresponding designed to release the latch 650 when the actuation shaft 660 is rotated in the second opposite direction. To achieve this, the camming ramp 648 of the latch cam 646 forms a spiraling ramp, as shown in Fig. 44, so that the camming end 654 of the latch 650 rides up the ramp 648 when the latch cam 646 is rotated in this second direction. This serves to rotate the latch 646 so the retaining member 652 is removed from engagement with the cartridge base 702 and the cartridge 700 can be removed from the riser 610. When the actuation shaft 660 is rotated in the first opposite direction, the camming end 654 of the latch 650 rides down the camming ramp 648 and the retaining member 652 of the latch remains in engagement with the cartridge base 702. As shown in Fig. 45, the end of the actuation shaft 660 is preferably connected to a lock 661 which is accessible on the underside of the riser bottom. In this way, a worker may insert a key into the lock 661 and rotate the actuation shaft 660 in the first direction to remove the tokens from the cartridge or alternatively rotate the actuation shaft in the second direction to remove the cartridge 700 from the riser 610.

Preferably, the binoculars 602 are attached to the binocular cartridge 700 by a binocular tether 782. The tether 782 is secured to a recoil spool 784 which is pivotally mounted between the door side brackets 708, 710 of the cartridge 700. The binocular support member 704 includes an aperture 785 through which the tether 782 connects the binoculars to the recoil spool 784. As described previously in other embodiments, the recoil spool 784 is biased so that the binoculars 102 will be retracted to a position within the cartridge 700.

In a preferred embodiment, a recoil stop mechanism or tether brake 786 is provided to prevent the recoil spool 784 from retracting the binoculars so that a user does not have constant tension applied while holding the binoculars. The recoil stop mechanism 786 includes a ratchet wheel 788 having external teeth

789 which is secured to the outside of the recoil spool 784. A recoil stop lever 790 is pivotally disposed adjacent the ratchet wheel 788 and includes a pawl 791 adapted for engagement with the external teeth 789 of the ratchet wheel 788. A recoil stop rod 794 having a press pin 795 is disposed within a recoil stop tube 796 so that the press pin 795 extends into a slot 797 in the recoil stop tube 796 to contact the recoil stop lever 790. A compression spring 798 is provided to bias the recoil stop rod in a downward direction so that the press pin forces the recoil stop lever 790 to a position out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 788 as shown in Fig. 39. In this disengaged position, the recoil spool is free to retract the binocular tether 782.

The recoil stop mechanism is preferably positioned adjacent the seat pivot 654 of the seat member. The seat pivot 654 is mounted in the seat mounting tube 628 of the riser 610 and includes a seat pin 652 which extends outward from the seat pivot 654 through a 629 slot in the seat mounting tube 628. It is appreciated that as the seat pivot 654 rotates in the seat mounting tube 628, the seat pin 652 moves along the slot 629 and thus restricts the rotation of the seat member to the movement of the pin within the slot 629.

When the seat is in the raised position as shown in Fig. 39, the recoil stop rod 794 maintains the recoil stop lever

790 in a position out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 788. When a person is seated on the seat member 650, the seat pivot rotates to a second lowered position so that the seat pin 656 engages the recoil stop rod 794 to raise the stop rod within the recoil stop tube 796. As the recoil stop rod moves up the stop tube 796, a recoil engagement spring 799 secured to the recoil stop lever 790 is now able to pull the recoil stop lever 790 into a position where the pawl 791 can engage the external teeth 789 of the ratchet wheel to prevent the recoil spool 784 from retracting the tether 782. Thus, when a person is seated, the recoil stop mechanism prevents the recoil spool from retracting while still permitting rotation of the recoil spool in the opposite direction which allows a user to pull the binoculars further out from the cartridge as shown in Fig. 40. It can be appreciated that when the person stands up, the seat is rotated back to the upper position so that the seat pin 656 rotates out of engagement with the recoil stop rod 794 and the compression spring 798 overcomes the force of the recoil engagement spring 799 and biases the recoil stop lever 790 to force the pawl 791 out of engagement with the ratchet wheel and the recoil spool can now retract the binoculars back into the cartridge 700. It is further noted that various other recoil stop mechanism may be employed to prevent the recoil spool from retracting the binoculars when the seat is in the lowered position.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS;

1. A seating apparatus for vending binoculars, said apparatus comprising: a seat member; an armrest member connected to said seat member; and housing means for removably retaining the binoculars wherein said housing means is disposed within said armrest member.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said housing means includes a retractable door having a first closed position and a second open position and said apparatus further comprises door actuation means for moving the door from the first closed position to the second open position to provide for access to the binoculars within the housing means.

3. A seating apparatus for vending binoculars, said apparatus comprising: a seat member; a removable cartridge including a retractable door moveable between a first closed position and a second open position and storage means for removably retaining the binoculars; and a riser member connected to said seat member including a cartridge chamber adapted for receiving said cartridge such that a portion of said cartridge is mounted within said cartridge chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 further comprising means for releasably locking the cartridge within the cartridge chamber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising means for releasing the cartridge locking means to allow removal of the cartridge from the cartridge chamber.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said cartridge includes an elongated tether for interconnecting the binoculars to the cartridge and tether retraction means for retracting a portion of the tether.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said tether retraction means includes a selectively engageable tether brake for preventing the tether from retracting.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the seat member is pivotable between an upright and lowered position and said tether brake is responsive to the position of the seat member such that said tether brake engages to prevent the tether from retracting when the seat member is in the lowered position and said tether brake disengages to allow retraction of the tether when the seat member is in the upright position.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said tether retraction means includes a recoil spool and means for biasing the spool in a first rotational direction for retraction of the tether and said tether brake includes a selectively engageable pawl and a ratchet wheel having teeth, said ratchet wheel connected to the recoil spool, wherein said pawl engages a tooth of the ratchel wheel when the seat member is in the lowered position to prevent rotation of the recoil spool in said first direction and said pawl disengages the tooth of the ratchet wheel when the seat member is in the upright position to allow rotation of the recoil spool in said first direction.

10. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said cartridge includes door actuation means for moving the door from the first closed position to the second open position to provide for access to the binoculars within the cartridge.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said cartridge includes a token of a specified size having a base portion and a raised portion and means for recognizing said token of specified size, wherein the door actuation means moves the door from the first closed position to the second open position once the token of specified size is recognized by a said token recognition means.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising means for retaining the token of said specified size after the token is recognized by said token recognition means.

13 The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising means for removing the token from the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said cartridge includes means for resetting the door to the first closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said cartridge includes a frame and side members with the door being pivotally attached to the side members and said cartridge further includes a door pivot lever pivotally connected between said door and said frame such that the door pivot lever and the side member adjacent the door pivot lever are coplaner.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said side member adjacent and coplaner to said door pivot lever includes a cut-out portion such that a portion of the door pivot lever is disposed within said cut-out portion when the door is in the first closed position.

17. A system for vending binoculars and making binoculars selectively available for use, said system comprising: a seating apparatus including: a seat member; and a riser member connected to said seat member including a cartridge chamber having an outer edge and adapted for receiving a cartridge such that the cartridge is mountable within said cartridge chamber; a removable binocular cartridge including means for accessing binoculars disposed within the binocular cartridge when the binocular cartridge is mounted in the cartridge chamber, wherein said binocular cartridge is inserted and releasably mounted in said cartridge chamber when it is desireable to have binoculars available for use and said binocular cartridge is removed from said cartridge chamber when it is not desireable to have binoculars available for use; and a removeable mock cartridge having an outer shell disposeable adjacent the outer edge of the cartridge chamber of the riser member when the mock cartridge is mounted in the cartridge chamber, wherein said mock cartridge is inserted and releasably mounted in said cartridge chamber when it is not desireable to have binoculars available for use.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said binocular cartridge includes a retractable door moveable between a first closed position and a second open position, storage means for removably retaining the binoculars, and door actuation means for moving the door from the first closed position to the second open position to provide for access to the binoculars within the binocular cartridge.