Check-actuated control mechanisms – Including means to test validity of check – By testing material composition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-09-25
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3652)
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Including means to test validity of check
By testing material composition
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293385
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coin sorting device which is suitable for vending machines.
For this type of conventional coin sorting device, an electronic coin sorting system has been generally adopted. The electronic coin sorting system is equipped with a coin sensor in a coin passage through which deposited coins pass. The coin sensor consists of an exciting coil to which a signal of given frequency is input from an oscillation circuit, and a reception coil arranged as electromagnetically coupled with the exciting coil. When there is no coin in the coin passage, the coin sensor generates a constant induced electromotive force of given frequency. The presence of a coin in the coin passage results in eddy currents developing in the coin and the induced electromotive force obtained by the reception coil shows a characteristic change unique to the coin. A voltage change, for example, is used as a parameter for extracting the characteristic change, thus determining the denomination and genuineness of the coin.
The following is a detailed explanation about this determination. In case where data obtained by the reception coil are voltage data upon which the determination is made, the maixmum and minimum values of voltage are preset such that the coin is determined as a true coin when the maximum and minimum voltage values are within the preset range, and as a forged or false coin when it is beyond the range. It should be noted that a plurality of coin sensors are provided for different characteristics of a coin, such as diameter, material, and thickness, assigning each sensor a frequency adaptable to each sensor's screening.
The truth/falsity determination of a coin is thus made, but forged or false coins may be frequently deposited to a vending machine depending on the site the vending machine is located. In expectation of such a case, the coin sorting device is provided with a changeover switch for changing over degrees of sorting precision so that the sorting can be improved.
However, since the conventional coin sorting device is to improve the sorting precision by changing the preset maximum and minimum values, a change in range do not always bring proper values for all the false coins. Therefore, even if the sorting precision is improved, a problem remains in that some false coins falling in the same data range as that for true coins cannot be eliminated.
Furthermore, the change in range generally stiffens the requirements for all the ranges of identifying characteristics such as diameter, material, and thickness across the board, and this reduces the rate of acceptance of true coins.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a coin sorting device of the type described, in which only the false coins can be eliminated without fail.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a coin sorting device in which the sorting precision is improved by the use of data related to false coins themselves.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a coin sorting device of the type described, which has a mode for rejecting false coins by the use of a coin datum representative of a false-coin kind, separately from a conventional coin sorting mode.
Other objects of the present will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to the present invention, there is provided a coin sorting device comprising first memorizing means for memorizing a first coin datum representative of a true-coin kind, second memorizing means for memorizing a second coin datum representative of a false-coin kind, data generating means for generating a third coin datum representative of a coin which is deposited as a deposited coin into the coin sorting device, first judging means connected to the first memorizing and the data generating means and responsive to the first and the third coin data for judging whether or not the deposited coin is included in the true-coin kind, and second judging means connected to the second memorizing and the data generating means and responsive to the second and the third coin data for judging whether or not the deposited coin is included in the false-coin kind.
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European Search Report for EPO Application No. EP99309372.
Hayashi Makoto
Ito Hironori
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Lillis Eileen D.
Sanden Corp.
Tran Thuy V.
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