Package making – With means responsive to a sensed condition – Of individual contents or group feed or delivery
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-07
2001-04-03
Coan, James F. (Department: 3721)
Package making
With means responsive to a sensed condition
Of individual contents or group feed or delivery
C053S212000, C053S498000, C053S500000, C453S031000, C453S032000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209294
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a coin wrapping machine which is compact and can reliably produce wrapped coin rolls each including a predetermined number of coins.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Coin wrapping machines are generally constituted so as to stack a predetermined number of coins in a coin stacking section, feed the thus stacked coins to a coin wrapping section and wrap them. In order to ensure that the predetermined number of coins is always wrapped, the number of coins fed to the coin stacking section is counted by a sensor and when the predetermined number of coins to be wrapped have been fed to the coin stacking section, a stopper prevents the following next coin from being fed to the coin stacking section.
However, when the coins detected by the sensor are not stacked in the coin stacking section in the proper manner, the number of coins wrapped may be less than the predetermined number and, on the other hand, when the stopper mulfunctions, coins whose number exceeds the predetermined number are fed to the coin stacking section and the number of coins wrapped may be more than the predetermined number. A coin wrapping machine having means for detecting whether the predetermined number of coins to be wrapped have been stacked in the coin stacking section has therefore been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid open No. 5-298521 proposes a coin wrapping machine constituted so as to project light onto the edges of the coins stacked in the coin stacking section and fed to the coin wrapping section, detect reflected light by a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), detect gaps between adjacent stacked coins based on a detection signal of the CCD and count the number of gaps, thereby detecting the number of coins to be wrapped.
However, guide members are provided between wrapping rollers and the coins to be wrapped for guiding wrapping paper in a coin wrapping section so as to reliably guide the wrapping paper even when coins having the smallest diameter among coins to be wrapped are wrapped. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to secure space for disposing the CCD and if the CCD is provided, the coin wrapping machine inevitably becomes large.
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a coin wrapping machine which is compact and can reliably produce wrapped coin rolls each including a predetermined number of coins.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above other objects of the present invention can be accomplished by a coin wrapping machine comprising coin stacking means for stacking deposited coins, coin wrapping means for wrapping coins stacked by the coin stacking means and stacked coin moving means for supporting the stacked coins and moving them from the coin stacking means to the coin wrapping means, said coin wrapping machine further comprising light projecting means disposed between the coin stacking means and the coin wrapping means for projecting light onto the stacked coins being moved from the coin stacking means to the coin wrapping means, light detecting means disposed between the coin stacking means and the coin wrapping means for photoelectrically detecting light impinging onto the stacked coins from the light projecting means and reflected by edges of the stacked coins and coin number determining means for detecting portions between adjacent coins based on detection data produced by the light detecting means, thereby determining the number of the stacked coins supported by the stacked coin moving means.
In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the light projecting means and the light detecting means are disposed in the same horizontal plane.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the light detecting means comprises a plurality of light receiving elements disposed horizontally.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin number determining means is constituted so as to binarize the detection data produced by the light detecting means and detect the portions between adjacent coins based on the thus binarized data.
In a further preferred aspect of the present invention, the coin number determining means is constituted so as to judge whether light detected by the light detecting means was reflected by an edge of a stacked coin in accordance with reference data produced based on thickness of the thickest coins to be wrapped.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4409773 (1983-10-01), Bergman et al.
patent: 5105601 (1992-04-01), Horiguchi et al.
patent: 5499483 (1996-03-01), Oikawa
patent: 5514034 (1996-05-01), Jones et al.
patent: 5718625 (1998-02-01), Bointon
patent: 0 660 278 A1 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 5-298521 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 8-273024 (1996-10-01), None
patent: WO 94/28520 (1994-12-01), None
Coan James F.
Frishauf, Holtz Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Laurel Bank Machines Co. Ltd.
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