Coin operated telephone operation monitoring switch mounting arrangement

• US 4,928,299 A
• Filed: 05/26/1989
• Issued: 05/22/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mei Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Mars Incorporated
• Inventors: Lagan, Edward F. Jr., McGarry, Patrick J., Tansky, John L.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHREYER, STAFFORD
• Application Number:
  US07/357,762
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: 379/39, 379/106, 379/37, 379/143, 379/155, 340/568
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/02 Coin-freed or check-freed systems , e.g. mobile- or card-operated phones, public telephones or booths

Abstract

An event monitoring system for payphones is described. Particularly, an arrangement for monitoring events such as the removal of the front cover, vault door and coin box is described. Sensors attached to brackets generate signals indicative of front cover, vault door and coin box removal are sensed by a monitoring circuit and sent to a central telephone office as appropriate. The brackets allow easy mounting of the sensors using existing payphone housing hardware, surfaces and cutouts. Consequently, this mounting arrangement may be used to retrofit standard payphones using only pre-existing mounting locations and holes to include event monitoring capability. The sensors and monitor circuit operate on low power and may be designed to operate in the absence of payphone power.

Claims

1. A payphone event monitoring system which may be readily installed in a standard payphone housing using preexisting payphone cutouts and which generates signals indicative of the removal of a coin box, a vault door or a front cover, comprising:

(a) a first sensor bracket assembly to which is attached a front cover sensor and a vault door sensor;

(b) a second sensor bracket assembly, containing a coin box sensor; and

(c) a means for monitoring the sensors and sending a signal indicative of removal of the coin box, vault door or front cover.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors for the vault door and front cover are attached to a single piece bracket which is mounted to a pre-existing location on a mounting deck using a single long screw and nut assembly, said single long screw replacing a pre-existing screw of the standard payphone housing.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vault door sensor uses a pre-existing hole in the mounting deck to make contact with a vault door latch in order to sense the opening and closing of a vault door lock.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a front cover bracket attached inside of the front cover at a preexisting mounting location on the front cover using pre-existing hex nuts.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the front cover bracket is positioned opposite the front cover sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second sensor bracket assembly is mounted in the coin box compartment to existing screw mounting locations.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the coin box sensor comprises an actuator and a switch, said actuator being a spring designed to move closer to the coin box sensor when the coin box is in place and away from the sensor when the coin box is removed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said sensors comprises a proximity switch having a reed switch and an actuator.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the actuator comprises a permanent magnet.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of said bracket assemblies includes slotted mounting holes so that its sensor can be readily adjusted.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensors are capable of operating in the absence of payphone power.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for monitoring the sensors is a low-power monitor circuit which can send signals indicative of vault door open, front cover open or coin box removal.

13. A method for retrofitting a payphone having a standard payphone housing to include an event monitoring capability comprising the steps of:

mounting at least one sensor attached to a bracket to a pre-existing mounting location in a standard payphone housing using pre-existing holes in the standard payphone housing;

using said at least one sensor to generate signals to be sensed by a monitoring circuit;

sending a signal from the monitoring circuit to a predetermined number indicative of the occurrence of the event.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the monitor circuit and the at least one sensor operate on low power.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said sensor is comprised of a proximity switch and a permanent magnet actuator, the proximity switch being sensitive to proximity of the magnet.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the proximity switch is a reed switch.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensor and the monitor circuit continue to operate if payphone line power is eliminated.