only type of built-in portable and compact energy
device available. Powered by people energy, it first
became popular in late 18 th century Europe for use
in toys, automata, and music boxes. By the mid
19th century in the United States, the clockwork
motor was used for toys, fire alarms, and other com-
mercial products. Even after electricity was com-
monplace, clockwork motor drives continued to be
useful in many applications.
The integration of clockwork motors into coin-
op machines was a marvelous combination for
many reasons. Coins could easily trip the clock-
work mechanism into action. Many sales could be
performed with a single winding. The clockwork
motor was a high value-added component to the
customer. Indeed, a SEAM was especially success-
ful with the ladies, as they did not have to grope
around to operate the mechanism, thus preventing
embarrassment!
By eliminating the need for instructions, SEAMs
became simple "drop coin" machines. Information,
frequently located near the coin slot itself, was
reduced to "DROP COIN HERE," or "DROP
PENNY HERE." The Clawson Dice machine
declared "TO TELL YOUR FORTUNE, Drop ~
Nickel in the Slot." One machine, The Niagara
Gum vender, even advertised itself as a SEAM:
"AUTOMATIC,
NO ROD! NO CRANK!" For clockwork motor
machines, with a drop of the coin, they came to life
with a buzzing sound and delivered the "goods."
A special sub-category of SEAMs, including the
Buffalo Gum, Zeno Gum, Automatic Clerk, and
Pope Cigar venders, were made with glass bell jars
or glass cases providing the customer a view of the
move-ment of the gears and other working parts.
The bonus visual show added novelty entertainment
and enhanced the buying experience. Glass cases
~lso projected a sense of propriety by showing off
its fresh wares, allowing the customer to see exact-
ly what was for sale, and whether the machine was
empty or not. Unique for the time, a glass SEAM
transaction closely resembled a live human transac-
tion in a store or saloon.
plete the transaction, be it "push, pull, or tum." The
third and final step? To reliably deliver the payoff
of merchandise to the awaiting patron, be it enter-
tainment, information, or financial rewards. Each
design change that improves on these principles
increases both the clientele's satisfaction and the
owner/operator's financial success.
A study of antique mechanical machines from
the perspective of the second principle-operating
procedures-yields the discovery of a small, ele-
gant class of automatic coin-ops. Designed to make
machine "user-friendlier," they entirely eliminated
the need for instructions and the customer's physi-
cal effort. As the ultimate in convenience machines
and way ahead if its time, the patron dropped in ~
coin and the machine managed all the rest. No fuss-
ing required! This elite category can be referred to
as Stored Energy Automatic Machines. (SEAMs).
SEAMs are defined as "those machines that have
a self-operating mechanism containing an internal
motive force to drive it." The power comes from a
spring that is wound up, or pre-loaded with energy
by the owner/operator, and released automatically
by the dropped-in coin. The power is freed in a
measured amount and enough energy remains
stored in the spring for multiple sales. In all but one
case of coin-op SEAMs, this spring power is con-
verted into mechanical action through a device
known as a clockwork motor. (The exception, The
Mansfield's Automatic Clerk, utilizes power gener-
ated by spring compression.)
The clockwork motor was first used in watch
works around 1450Ao. The mechanics involve a
tempered strip of steel wound into a coil as a spring.
Its tension is released into a series of gears. The
design ratio of the gears delivers the speed and
torque necessary for a particular output. A braking
mechanism -fan, flywheel, governor or pendulum
- is often used to control the output speed. The
whole mechanical action is held in check by a
mechanical detent, effectively a start/stop switch.
In a coin-op machine, the coin trips the detent to
permit one cycle of operation.
Long before the development of electric batteries
and electric motors, the clockwork motor was the
5