Check-actuated control mechanisms – Including value accumulator for plural checks – Having solid state circuitry
Patent
1995-01-27
1996-08-06
Bartuska, F. J.
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Including value accumulator for plural checks
Having solid state circuitry
453 20, G07D 106
Patent
active
055425194
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, controlling the dispensing of money in the form of units having a plurality of denominations. The invention is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to machines such as vending machines which receive coins of a plurality of denominations, and which have a plurality of stores each containing coins of a respective denomination, and each possibly being capable of being replenished by insertion of coins into the vending machine. Means are provided for dispensing coins from the stores in an amount which corresponds to the difference between the amount inserted, and the value of the vend or vends performed by the machine.
The invention is not limited to such arrangements. The dispensed monetary units could be, for example, banknotes, or a mixture of banknotes and coins. The invention also has wider applicability than vending machines; it may be applied to change-giving machines of any type.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of vending machines, it is well known to use a dispensing control means which calculates a preferred combination of coins for dispensing in the form of change. One typical way of achieving this, referred to as the "least number of coins" method, involves determining the total amount of change to be dispensed, calculating the maximum number of coins of the highest available denomination which in total have a value of equal to or less than the amount to be dispensed, deducting this amount to obtain a residual amount to be dispensed, taking the next lower denomination and determining the maximum number of coins which in total are equal to or less than this residual amount, deducting this total from the residual amount, and continuing using progressively smaller denominations until either the residual amount is equal to zero or the lowest denomination has been used. The object of this technique is to use as many higher-denomination coins as possible, so that the total number of dispensed coins is minimised. This maximises the number of coins retained in the stores so that change remains available for the maximum number of transactions.
It is important that the calculation of the combination of coins to be dispensed takes place quickly, so as not unduly to delay the user of the machine. In the past, this calculation has taken place at the same time as the dispensing. Thus, the highest value coins would be dispensed in turn, until the remaining amount to be dispensed became less than a single coin of this denomination. Then the next lower denomination would be dispensed in a similar manner. With such an approach, if insufficient coins of a low denomination are available, the user will be short-changed. In some machines, the user is given a warning of this possibility so that he can avoid using the machine, or so that he can select a vend price and/or the nature of the inserted coins in such a manner as to minimise the requirement for change. These warnings would be given in response to detecting a low level of availability of coins of the lowest denomination. For the warning to be reliable, the threshold level at which the warning was given was set to be considerably higher than would often be necessary, depending on the availability of higher-denomination coins. Accordingly, this warning was given unnecessary frequently.
In some known arrangements, the combination of coins to be dispensed is calculated before any coins are dispensed. This makes it possible with greater reliability to assess those situations in which insufficient coins are available to give the correct amount of change. However, these arrangements still suffer from a number of disadvantages. First, the method used to calculate the number of coins of various denominations did not always correctly give the combination which uses the least number of coins. This could happen even if coins of all the denominations handled by the machine were available. However, it would happen more frequently if certain of these coins were unavailable
REFERENCES:
patent: 4192972 (1980-03-01), Bertoglio et al.
patent: 4462512 (1984-07-01), Schuller
patent: 4706202 (1987-11-01), Kobayashi et al.
patent: 4967896 (1990-11-01), Hara
patent: 5197588 (1993-03-01), Furuya et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14, No. 163, (JP 202 0952; Tamura Electric Works Ltd.) 24 Jan. 1990 (1 page of Abstract).
Johnson Anthony D.
Weston John A.
Bartuska F. J.
Mars Incorporated
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