Check-actuated control mechanisms – Including means to test validity of check – By testing material composition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-18
2002-12-31
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Including means to test validity of check
By testing material composition
C194S317000, C194S328000, C194S330000, C382S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06499581
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coin discriminating apparatus and, in particular, to a coin discriminating apparatus for accurately discriminating a counterfeit coin even when optical data acquired from the counterfeit coin such as diameter data and surface pattern data thereof coincide with those of genuine coins of a certain denomination and when the magnetic data acquired from the counterfeit coin are similar to those of coins of the denomination.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 8-36661 discloses a coin discriminating apparatus in which magnetic data indicating magnetic properties of coins are produced by a magnetic sensor and coin optical data, i.e. diameter data and surface pattern data, are produced based on image data produced by an optical sensor, thereby discriminating whether a coin is acceptable and the denomination of a coin when the coin is discriminated to be acceptable in accordance with the magnetic data, the diameter data and the surface pattern data of the coin.
However, only a single kind of reference magnetic data are assigned to each denomination of coins in this coin discriminating apparatus. Therefore, in the case where optical data acquired from a counterfeit coin, such as diameter data and surface pattern data thereof, coincide with those acquired from coins of a certain denomination and when the magnetic data acquired from the counterfeit coin are similar with those of coins of the denomination, it is difficult to accurately discriminate the counterfeit coin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coin discriminating apparatus capable of accurately discriminating a counterfeit coin even when optical data acquired from the counterfeit coin such as diameter data and surface pattern data thereof coincide with those of genuine coins of a certain denomination and when the magnetic data acquired from the counterfeit coin are similar to those of coins of the denomination.
The above and other objects of the present invention can be accomplished by a coin discriminating apparatus comprising magnetic sensor means for detecting magnetic properties of a coin being transported and producing magnetic data of the coin, optical sensor means for producing optical data of the coin, reference optical data storing means for storing reference optical data of an obverse surface and a reverse surface of coins of each denomination, reference magnetic data storing means for storing reference magnetic data of an obverse surface and a reverse surface of coins of each denomination to be discriminated, first coin discriminating means for comparing optical data of the coin produced by the optical sensor means with reference optical data of an obverse surface and a reverse surface of coins of each denomination and determining whether or not the coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin, and second coin discriminating means for reading from the reference magnetic data storing means magnetic reference data selected depending upon whether reference optical data of the obverse surface of a coin of a certain denomination or those of the reverse surface of the coin of the denomination were used when the first coin discriminating means determined the coin to be acceptable and the denomination of the coin based thereon and comparing them with the magnetic data produced by the magnetic sensor means, thereby finally discriminating whether or not the coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin.
The present invention is based on the findings that magnetic data of a coin detected by a reflection type magnetic sensor in which a transmitting coil and a receiving coil are on the same side of the coin differ, depending upon whether the obverse surface of the coin or the reverse surface thereof has been detected, according to the raised and depressed patterns of the obverse surface and the reverse surface of the coin, that magnetic data of a coin detected by a transmission type magnetic sensor in which a transmitting coil and a receiving coil are on the different sides of the coin differ depending upon the distance between the transmitting coil and the coin, and that the magnetic data of the coin are therefore different, depending upon whether the obverse surface or the reverse surface of the coin has been detected, according to the raised and depressed patterns of the obverse surface and the reverse surface of the coin.
According to the present invention, whether or not a coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin are detected by the first coin discriminating means and the second coin discriminating means reads from the reference magnetic data storing means magnetic reference data selected depending upon whether reference optical data of the obverse surface of a coin of a certain denomination or those of the reverse surface of the coin of the denomination were used when the first coin discriminating means determined the coin to be acceptable and the denomination of the coin based thereon and compares them with the magnetic data produced by the magnetic sensor means, thereby finally discriminating whether or not the coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin. Therefore, it is possible to accurately discriminate a counterfeit coin even when optical data of the counterfeit coin, such as diameter data and surface pattern data thereof, coincide with those of coins of a certain denomination and when the magnetic data acquired from the counterfeit coin are similar to those of coins of the denomination.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the magnetic sensor means comprises at least one transmitting coil and receiving coil pair and the members of the at least one transmitting coil and receiving coil pair are disposed on the same side of a coin being transported.
In another preferred aspect of the present invention, the magnetic sensor means comprises at least one transmitting coil and receiving coil pair and the members of the at least one transmitting coil and receiving coil pair are disposed on the different sides of a coin being transported.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the optical sensor means comprises a light source for emitting light toward one surface of the coin and light receiving means for photoelectrically receiving light emitted from the light source and reflected by the one surface of the coin and producing image pattern data of the one surface of the coin.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the image pattern data include data relating to diameter of the coin and pattern data and the reference optical data include reference data relating to diameters of coins of each denomination to be discriminated and reference pattern data of obverse surfaces and reverse surfaces of coins of each denomination and the coin discriminating apparatus further includes pattern data storing means for storing image pattern data.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the first coin discriminating means is adapted for comparing the data relating to diameter of the coin stored in the pattern data storing means and the reference data relating to diameter of coins of each denomination stored in the reference optical data storing means, thereby determining the denomination of the coin, reading the reference pattern data of obverse surfaces and reverse surfaces of coins of each denomination from the reference optical data storing means and comparing them with image pattern data of the coin stored in the pattern data storing means, thereby discriminating whether or not the coin is acceptable and the denomination of the coin, and the second coin discriminating means is adapted for reading from the reference magnetic data storing means magnetic reference data selected depending upon whether reference pattern data of the obverse surface of a coin of a certain denomination or those of the reverse surface of the coin of the denomination were used when the first coin discriminating means determine
Imai Shigetoshi
Moritani Takao
Yoshida Toshio
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Laurel Bank Machines Co. Ltd.
Shapiro Jeffrey A.
Walsh Donald P.
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