Coin handling – Deliverer – Delivery of a distinct number of plural coins from a single...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-03-13
Olszewski, Robert P. (Department: 3652)
Coin handling
Deliverer
Delivery of a distinct number of plural coins from a single...
C453S018000, C453S031000, C453S056000, C453S057000, C453S063000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06200213
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to coin or gaming token hoppers or storage systems typically located inside a lockable cabinet in which the gaming machine is also housed, and, more particularly, relates to an improved coin or gaming token hopper system in which, after the coins are counted, are delivered to a coin storage container known as a coin hopper located beneath the coin counting and moving mechanism, but can also be delivered to one or more additional coin hoppers located in front of or to the rear of, above or to the right or to the left of, the coin counting and moving mechanism thereby improving security and minimizing customer play interruption on payout and coin service intervals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A gaming machine, such as a “slot” machine, or the like, receives coins, paper money, or gaming tokens, and the game is played, and, if the gaming machine registers a win, the gaming machine dispenses one or more coins or gaming tokens into a coin tray accessible to the gaming player as the prize or award. Typically, to play a gaming machine, coins or gaming tokens are first deposited into a coin slot which delivers the coin or token into the gaming machine inside a locked cabinet. Once the coins or tokens are deposited into the gaming machine, the money, in the form of coins, is typically counted and then delivered into a coin hopper located beneath the coin counting and moving mechanism inside a locked, protective cabinet in which the gaming machine and the money is housed. Usually, because of the instant gratification that the gaming customer receives from receiving a prize or an award in the form of coins, the gaming machines will pay out the prize by removing coins from the cache of customer-deposited coins in the coin hopper and thereafterwards discharging these coins into a customer-accessible coin tray located at the front of the gaming machine cabinet.
In the present state-of-the-art gaming machines' coin hopper designs, means are provided for discharging the coins directly from the coin hopper into the coin pay-out tray for receipt by the customer, or game player. Obviously, however, there is a limit to the number of coins that the coin hopper can physically hold, the size and coin-carrying capacity being restricted by the allowable size of the cabinet housing of the gaming machine. The floor space in gaming establishments is so expensive and limited that every square foot of floor space must be productive. As a result, the gaming machine cabinet is limited in size to a specific amount of horizontally-disposed floor space. Consequently, in view of the limitation on the number of coins that can be stored inside a gaming machine due to the gaming machine cabinet size limitations, a significant problem is presented when the volume and frequency of the gaming action must be increased to pay for the sizeable operating costs of the gaming establishments without increasing the size of the gaming establishment. The present invention, both apparatus and method disclosed herein, provides for significant productivity gains of coin-operated gaming machines by increasing the coin-holding and storage capacity of the gaming machines by vertically stacking additional coin-hoppers and coin storage containers without increasing the size of the floor square-footage used by the gaming machine and its cabinet.
One of the major problems faced by the gaming industry is theft of money from the gaming machines. To prevent or deter such theft, gaming machine cabinets are preferably constructed so as to thwart and reduce unauthorized access to the money deposited by gaming machine players and held and stored inside the gaming machine cabinet.
Another way to minimize theft or coin shortages relative to the coins deposited in the gaming machine is to reduce the number of times that the gaming machine must be accessed over a 24 hour period to remove the excess coins deposited into the gaming machines by the players. Such excess coins represent, in part, the profits for gaming machine owners.
Another significant and important method used to reduce losses due to unauthorized coin shortages is to provide a means for depositing a pre-measured, or pre-counted number of excess coins into coin bags to effectively pre-package such excess coins prior to the removal of the bagged coins from the gaming machine cabinet. (The term “excess” coins is used to describe the extra coins which remain after the coin hoppers are all filled to capacity to ensure that in the event of a large win or coin payout that there are sufficient coins to pay out one or more large coin payouts from coins housed within the gaming machine cabinet.) By arranging a number of the coin bags on a turnstile or turntable, several coin bags can be used to receive a large number of coins. By doing so, the number of times during a 24 hour period that the gaming machine cabinet must be unlocked for the purpose of removing the excess coins, is significantly reduced. Still further, the use of standard size coin bags eliminates the additional expense and task of counting the coins again since the value of the coins can be determined by merely counting the coin bags before the coin bags or containers are removed from the gaming machine cabinet; hence, there is no need to individually re-count all the coins in the coin bags again; such can be accomplished simply by weighing the bag of coins, subtracting the tare weight of the coin bag, and dividing the remainder by the weight of each coin.
The prior art uncovered by the inventor herein pertains primarily to coin counting and sorting mechanisms rather than to coin or token-operated gaming machines with multiple coin hoppers. Nevertheless, such coin counting and sorting mechanisms are used as part of a gaming machine and are distant cousins. Similar methods for handling the coins and gaming tokens deposited therein are used today.
The prior art patents discovered by the inventor herein are as follows. U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,279 (Black et al.) relates to a high speed coin counting and sorting mechanism. Various coins of different sizes and values can be counted and sorted by this machine. The coins are deposited into an accumulating receiver
16
. Once the bag
30
in
FIGS. 1 and 2
is filled, excess coins are deflected by deflector
14
and are directed to an endless belt
26
which returns the coins to the supply for recycling. When the bag is full of the desired number of a particular denomination of coins, a signal light
28
is actuated and the alerts the operator who may then remove the bag or other container
30
from the receiver
16
and replace it with an empty container and then actuate a reset button
32
to restore the deflector
14
to its lower position and initiate the counting and sorting of a new series of coins of that denomination.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,211 (Burgess, Jr.) relates to a vibratory quantifying or counting apparatus for determining a numerical quantity of items or articles of similar geometric configuration. It is primarily useful as a means for counting and sorting pills or capsules, but can also be used for counting washers, bolts, coins, etc. The chutes and their arrangement are novel in combination with the gate means for diverting parts or coins or pills after a predetermined number has been reached.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,540 (De Meyer et al.) relates to a coin processing machine which employs a coin hopper
19
which empties into a coin splitting chute assembly
25
with divergent spouts
27
and
28
to deliver a half batch of coins to each of two coin sorters
38
and
39
operating in parallel. Following the coin sorting operation, the coins are delivered from the bottom of the coin sorters
38
and
39
to a pair of stationary coin bags
49
for storage and removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,559 (Childers, et al.) relates to coin sorting and counting apparatus generally indicated at
10
. Three coin loading trays
22
are hingedly attached to the funnel
20
by their open end for dumping of a
Lofstedt Ben E.
Olszewski Robert P.
Tran Thuy V.
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