Coin dispenser

Details Coin dispenser Coin dispenser

1999-07-27

2001-01-23

Bartuska, F. J. (Department: 3652)

Coin handling

Deliverer

Delivery from plural sources by a single actuation

C453S024000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06176773

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention concerns a coin processing apparatus, used in automatic vending machines, money changing machines and service equipment, etc., and more particularly concerns improvements in a coin dispenser that constitutes part of such a coin processing apparatus and that pays out coins that have been sorted and held by denomination according to the amount of change being returned.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventional automatic vending machines, money changing machines and service equipment, etc., have been equipped with coin processing apparatus that, in addition to determining the genuineness of inserted coins, sorts and holds those inserted coins deemed genuine by denomination, and also pays out the sorted and held coins according to the amount of change being returned.
The coin processing apparatus, in general terms, comprises the following three main constituting elements.
The first main constituting element comprises coin sorting means that determines the genuineness of inserted coins and sorts, by denomination, the genuine coins.
The second main constituting element comprises a coin holding apparatus comprising a plurality of coin tubes that respectively hold coins by denomination, which coins have been sorted by denomination by the coin sorting means.
The third main constituting element comprises a coin dispenser that selects coins from inside the coin tubes constituting the coin holding apparatus, according to the amount of change being returned, and pays those selected coins out.
Of these, the conventional coin dispenser
1
has the structure depicted in the schematic perspective view of major components given in FIG.
18
.
The coin dispenser
1
comprises payout cam drive means (not shown in the drawings) comprising drive motor gears that transmit the driving force of the drive motor; a payout link
4
that comprises a pair of payout cams
2
and
3
that are turned one revolution in one direction (clockwise) every payout operation by the driving force transmitted via the payout cam drive means and channels
4
a
and
4
b
engaged with pins
2
a
and
3
a
projecting from the lower surfaces of the payout cams
2
and
3
, and that moves reciprocally in the directions of arrow A from the initial position in the drawing when the payout cams
2
and
3
turn one revolution in the direction of the arrows (clockwise); and a payout slider
5
that engages the payout link
4
through the pair of pins
4
c
and
4
d
and moves reciprocally in the directions of the arrow A in linkage with the reciprocal motion of the payout link
4
. The payout drive means (not shown), as described above, payout cams
2
and
3
and payout link
4
constitute payout slider drive means
6
.
In the payout slider
5
are formed four holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
for holding, respectively, a single coin of the coins held at the bottoms of the coin tubes (not shown) that constitute the coin holding apparatus described above. On the bottom sides of the holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
are provided a bottom plate
11
that covers the bottom surface of the payout slider
5
and that ordinarily does not move, in the initial position depicted in
FIG. 18
, so as to prevent coins held in the holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
from falling down. The bottom plate
11
configures the bottom surface of the plurality of coin tubes (not shown) that constitute the coin holding apparatus.
Inside the payout link
4
, change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
for controlling the paying out and non- paying out of the coins held one at a time inside the corresponding holes
7
,
8
,
9
,
10
, are inserted such that they can go in and out freely. The ends of the change slides front at the bottoms of the corresponding holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
in the payout slider
5
.
The change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
are provided with stopper means (not shown) for stopping their movement from the initial position depicted in
FIG. 18
toward the payout link
4
side. Thus, the structure is such as to allow the movement of the change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
toward change solenoids
16
,
17
,
18
and
19
following the sliding movement of the payout link
4
in the directions of the arrow A, while checking the movement from the initial positions depicted in
FIG. 18
toward the payout link
4
.
Furthermore, the change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
described above are installed such that the tip
12
a
of the change slide
12
fronts inside the hole
7
, the tip
13
a
of the change slide
13
fronts inside the hole
8
, the tip
14
a
of the change slide
14
fronts inside the hole
9
and the tip
15
a
of the change slide
15
fronts inside the hole
10
.
The back ends
12
b
,
13
b
,
14
b
and
15
b
of the change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
, respectively, in their initial positions, are engaged by change levers
16
a
,
17
a
,
18
a
and
19
a
configured by the plungers of the change solenoids
16
,
17
,
18
and
19
, respectively, that are installed independently for the change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
. The movement of these change slides, that is to say, movement toward the change solenoids
16
,
17
,
18
and
19
, is ordinarily checked.
According to the coin dispenser
1
described in the foregoing, when a signal is input from a controller (not shown) to pay out one coin (not shown) held in the hole
9
, for example, in response to that payout signal, the payout cams
2
and
3
are turned through one revolution in the direction of the arrows by the payout cam drive means (not shown), causing the payout slider
5
to move reciprocally in the directions of the arrow A, which would cause the coins held in the holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
in the payout slider
5
to drop one at a time down below the holes
7
,
8
,
9
and
10
. However, as depicted in
FIG. 19
, based on the signal to pay out one coin held in the hole
9
, only the change lever
18
a
of the change solenoid
18
that checks the movement of the back end
14
b
of the change slide
14
is activated, moving upward as indicated by the arrow B, thus releasing the engagement between the change lever
18
a
and the change slide back end
14
b.
Thereupon, as depicted in
FIG. 20
(from which the payout cams
2
and
3
have been omitted), only the change slide
14
slides backward, following the movement of the payout link
4
in the directions of the arrow A, whereby the opening in the bottom of the hole
9
is maintained so that the coin held in the hole
9
drops down and is paid out.
As depicted in
FIG. 20
, since the back ends
12
b
,
13
b
and
15
b
of the other change slides
12
,
13
and
15
have their movement checked by the change levers
16
a
,
17
a
and
19
a
, respectively, depending on the amount of movement of the payout link
4
, the change slide tips
12
a
,
13
a
and
15
a
advance at the bottoms of the holes
7
,
8
and
10
corresponding thereto. Therefore, the bottoms of those holes
7
,
8
and
10
are not released, and, accordingly, the coins held in those holes
7
,
8
and
10
do not fall down below the bottoms of the holes
7
,
8
and
10
despite the reciprocal movement in the directions of the arrow A of the payout slider
5
, and are thus not paid out.
In other words, the coin dispenser described in the foregoing is configured so that, if change levers
16
a
,
17
a
,
18
a
and
19
a
corresponding to coins to be paid out are activated (moved upward), thus releasing the checks on the movements of the change slides
12
,
13
,
14
and
15
corresponding to the coins to be paid out, those coins can be paid out. When paying out a plurality of coins of the same denomination, the change lever of the change solenoid correspond to that coin to be paid out is activated (moved upward), thereby releasing the check on the movement of that change slide, and thereafter it is only necessary to move the payout slider
5
reciprocally a number of times coinciding with the number of coins to be paid out. Also, when paying out a plurality of types of coins simultaneously, the change levers of a pluralit

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