Check-actuated control mechanisms – Control mechanism actuated by check – other than coin – which... – By pliant currency
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2003-03-18
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3652)
Check-actuated control mechanisms
Control mechanism actuated by check, other than coin , which...
By pliant currency
C361S214000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06533097
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet material transfer device to be used for a vending machine, money changer, pinball lending machine, metal lending machine, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a vending machine for handling sheet materials such as bills, coupon tickets and the like, a sheet material transfer device for transferring sheet materials inserted from the sheet material insertion port is arranged in the body of the vending machine.
This sheet material transfer device is, for example, a bill transfer device for transferring bills inserted from the bill insertion port.
FIG. 3
is a schematic cross sectional view of the essential portion of a conventional bill transfer device and
FIG. 4
is a schematic top view of the essential portion of the conventional bill transfer device of FIG.
3
.
This conventional bill transfer device
61
comprises bill transfer means
31
including a pair of bill transfer rollers
32
for transferring bills inserted from a bill insertion port not shown in the drawing along a bill transfer path
30
, magnetic heads
35
for discriminating the truth of bills transferred by the bill transfer means
31
, and grounding means
41
for grounding static electricity generated in the bill transfer rollers
32
by friction with transferring bills.
Among them, the pair of bill transfer rollers
32
constituting the bill transfer means
31
are rollers arranged in the bill transfer path
30
in the neighborhood of a printed circuit board
43
so as to freely move vertically and are made of synthetic resin.
Each of the bill transfer rollers
32
is supported via a shaft
33
made of an electrically conductive material so as to freely rotate and always pressed toward the bill transfer path
30
by the pressing force of coil springs
42
, which will be described later, via the shaft
33
.
A pair of guide plates
51
arranged between the bill transfer rollers
32
restrict the motion of the bill transfer rollers
32
in the vertical direction only.
The magnetic heads
35
are arranged in the opposite locations of each of the bill transfer rollers
32
across the bill transfer path
30
.
The grounding means
41
comprises the pair of coil springs
42
made of an electrically conductive material, a pair of electrically conductive plate members and
45
, and a pair of screws
46
.
Among them, each of the coil springs
42
has one end
42
a
in contact with the shaft
33
and another end
42
b
in contact with an lower face
44
a
of the plate member
44
or an lower face
45
a
of the plate member
45
.
The plate members
44
and
45
are positioned in holes
43
b
formed in the printed circuit board
43
and fixed to upper chutes
52
by the screws
46
.
The plate members
44
and
45
are in contact with the other ends
42
b
of the coil springs
42
on the lower faces
44
a
and
45
a
thereof. The plate member
45
is made of an electrically conductive material and supports a lead terminal
56
for grounding outside the bill transfer device
61
.
On the printed circuit board
43
, circuit patterns
47
(
FIG. 4
) for controlling the whole processing of bills including bill transfer are formed. The printed circuit board
43
is fixed to the upper chutes
52
by a pair of screws
48
. Numeral
55
shown in
FIG. 3
indicates a lower chute.
The bill transfer device
61
transfers bills inserted from a bill insertion port not shown in the drawing along the bill transfer path
30
by the bill transfer means
31
and also drives the magnetic heads
35
when the bills pass between the magnetic heads
35
and the bill transfer rollers
32
and thus discriminates the truth of the bills. When the bills are discriminated as true bills by the magnetic heads
35
, the bill transfer device
61
further transfers the bills to the downstream of the bill transfer path
30
by the bill transfer means
31
and stores them in a stacker not shown in the drawing. When the bills are discriminated as false bills, the bill transfer device
61
reversely drives the bill transfer means
31
and returns the bills from the bill insertion port.
To assemble the bill transfer device
61
, the pair of coil springs
42
constituting the grounding means
41
is arranged so that the one ends
42
a
thereof come in contact with the shaft
33
supporting the bill transfer rollers
32
. Thereafter, the plate members
44
and
45
are positioned so that the lower faces
44
a
and
45
a
thereof come in contact with the other ends
42
b
of the coil springs
42
and also fixed to the upper chutes
52
by the screws
46
. Next, the printed circuit board
43
is positioned so that the plate members
44
and
45
are arranged in the holes
43
b
thereof. The plate members
44
and
45
are fixed to the upper chutes
52
by the screws
48
.
In the bill transfer device
61
, since the bill transfer rollers
32
are made of synthetic resin, static electricity is generated in the bill transfer rollers
32
by friction with transferring bills, and therefore, it is so designed that the static electricity is discharged via the shaft
33
, the coil springs
42
and the plate member
45
. Therefore, a risk of static electricity staying in the bill transfer rollers
32
is prevented and hence a risk that the operation of the printed circuit board
43
may be adversely affected by staying of the static electricity, that is, malfunctions of the bill processing may be caused is prevented.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned bill transfer device
61
has a structure that the coil springs
42
constituting the grounding means
41
are fixed to the upper chute
52
via the plate member
44
or
45
and the screws
46
at the one ends
42
a
thereof, and further, the printed circuit board
43
is fixed to the upper chute
52
by the screws
48
. As a result, a problem arises that there are many components required and the manufacturing process is complicated.
This problem also arises in a sheet material transfer device for transferring sheet materials other than bills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material transfer device capable of preventing the stay of static electricity in the sheet transfer rollers in the neighborhood of a printed circuit board and hence preventing malfunctions of the sheet material process of the printed circuit board.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet material transfer device having a relatively small number of components and whose manufacturing process is simple.
To accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a sheet material transfer device comprising at least sheet material transfer rollers vertically movable and arranged in a sheet material transfer path in neighborhood of a printed circuit board and supported so as to freely rotate by means of an electrically conductive shaft and a grounding means for grounding static electricity generated in said sheet material transfer rollers, wherein the grounding means includes a circuit pattern for grounding formed on the printed circuit board; and electrically conductive force applying means having one end in contact with the shaft and another end in contact with the circuit pattern for grounding, for always pressing the sheet material transfer rollers toward the sheet material transfer path, and wherein the grounding means discharges static electricity generated in the sheet material transfer rollers via the shaft, the force applying means, and the circuit pattern for grounding.
Other object and effects of the present invention can be easily ascertained by the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4114804 (1978-09-01), Jones et al.
patent: 4334262 (1982-06-01), Latos
patent: 4493639 (1985-01-01), Suster
patent: 4862208 (1989-08-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 5671123 (1997-09-01), Omori et al.
patent: 3-241790 (1991-10-01), None
patent: 9-64384 (1997-03-01), None
Akiba Koji
Sakamoto Yuichi
Yamamoto Makoto
Yasuda Shigeru
Hogan & Hartson LLP
Kabushiki Kaisha Nippon Conlux
Lillis Eileen D.
Tran Thuy V.
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