Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
  • G07D9/00—Counting coins; Handling of coins not provided for in the other groups of this subclass
  • G07D9/008—Feeding coins from bulk

Definitions

• the invention relates to dispensing mechanisms and particularly, but not exclusively, to a coin or token handling mechanism for use in vending machines, amusement or games machines, change giving machines or any other machine in which coins or tokens are handled.
• the invention is particularly suitable for use with apparatus having the form described in our International Patent application number PCT/GB 96/01793.
• coins are picked up from a store and moved towards an exit slot by a rotor.
• the rotor may have pegs thereon to move the coins towards the slot.
• a wiping member is provided to contact the moving coins and direct them off the rotor and into the slot.
• Coins can become worn or slightly bent so whenever coins are directed into a slot, there is always a risk that thin or deformed coins will cause a jam as they enter the slot, either because of their own shape or because they ride over and wedge another coin.
• the invention seeks to provide a coin handling apparatus of this general form, which is less prone to jamming.
• the invention provides coin handling apparatus comprising a rotor which is rotatable to move coins towards an exit slot, and a wiping device to contact the coins and direct them into the slot, the wiping device having an escape recess spaced from a face of the rotor, to receive at least part of a coin not properly seated on the face of the rotor thus reducing the risk that this improperly seated coin will jam another coin.
• the escape recess has a depth which is slightly larger than the thickness of the coins, but a width which is slightly smaller than a diameter of the coins. This ensures that a coin cannot move completely into the recess where it might cause a jam which would be difficult to free. If there is a jam, then it occurs in a controlled manner, as a result of the jamming coin being unable to move fully into the escape slot. Although the jammed coins cannot move forwards, they are not wedged together and there is therefore no impediment to their moving in the reverse direction. The jam can therefore be freed without dismantling the apparatus by known anti- jamming mechanisms, which can be used to cause the rotor to reverse its direction temporarily, if there is an impediment to its forward motion.
• the wiping member may cooperate with a spacer to define, with part of the rotor, the exit slot.
• the spacer may be integral with the body of the wiping device.
• Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of coin handling apparatus according to the invention.
• Figures 2 and 3 are front views of the wiping area of the apparatus, showing respectively two forms of potential jamming situation with which the apparatus can cope;
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through the wiping area, showing normal operation
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view through the wiping area showing the situation of Figure 2;
• Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the situation of Figure 3.
• the apparatus shown in Figure 1 has a coin hopper 10 and an exit slot 11 defined by a coin track 12 and cover plate 13.
• the function of the apparatus is to feed coins from the hopper 10 to the exit slot 1 1 and for this purpose a rotor is provided in the form of a disc 14 bearing a plurality raised portions or of pegs 15.
• the pegs 15 could comprise separate pegs or raised portions that are made by punching a flat plate.
• the pegs may be raised above the face 16 by slightly less than the width of a coin.
• the pegs 15 pick up coins from a stock (not shown) at the bottom of the hopper and move the coins upwardly. As the coins approach the top of the hopper they should lie flat against a face 16 of the disc (see for example the coin 17 which is supported by one of the pegs and by a lip 18 on the disc).
• the wiping member 19 comprises a bridge member having a shape generally that of a Z with side arms 20 and 21 joined by a cross member 22.
• the wiping area during normal operation is shown in cross section in Figure 4.
• the disc 14 and lip 18 cooperate with part of the apparatus housing 23 and a spacer 24 to define a coin receiving slot 25.
• the profile of the slot 25 is continued along the arm 21 of the wiping device so that as a coin approaches the arm 21 its edge is captured under the arm 21 to start the guiding movement of the coin towards the exit slot I I .
• the depth of the recess 26 is slightly greater than the thickness of the coin 27 but the width of the recess 26 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the coin 27.
• the provision of the escape recess 26 substantially reduces the risk of a jam. If however a jam does occur, the presence of the escape recess means that the jam results from coins being unable to move forwards. The coins do not become wedged together so they are still free to move in the return direction and a standard anti-jam mechanism on the disc, sensing an impediment to forward movement of the disc, causes the disc to reverse temporarily and the jammed coins can then fall away.
• FIGs 2 and 5 One form of clearable jam is shown in Figures 2 and 5, in which a coin 28 has tilted to lie across both slots. This coin cannot enter the exit slot and so the movement of the disc stops. The disc then automatically rotates in the reverse direction, taking the coin 28 back with it, and the coin will then either fall off the disc back into the hopper, or will reseat itself in the correct position shown in Figure 4.
• Figure 3 illustrates the situation in which two coins lie closely on top of one another. One of these coins might be a thinner coin and this overlapping situation would normally result in a jam which could not be freed without dismantling the apparatus.
• the outer coin 29 is able to move partly into the escape recess 26. It cannot move fully into the recess because the width of the recess is smaller than the diameter of the coin but there is no danger of the outer coin 29 providing sideways pressure to the coin 30 because there is plenty of room for the thicknesses of the two coins to be accommodated by the slot 25 and recess 26.
• the coin 29 merely sits freely in the position shown in Figure 6, with correctly positioned coins such as 30 sliding underneath the coin 29 and into the exit slot.
• the coin 29 may simply fall away. If however one of the pins on the disc still engages the coin 29 and tries to push it forwards, the automatic reversing function comes into play and the disc will reverse, taking the coin 29 away from the wiping member, or it may then fall away under gravity.
• the coin 29 may in due course reseat itself flat against the face of the disc, in which case it is then dispensed in the normal way.
• a wiping arrangement similar to that shown in the drawings can be used with any coin handling apparatus where coins are to be transported from a disc to an exit slot.
• the exit slot is shown extending in an upward and leftward direction, as viewed in Figure 1 , but a similar arrangement can be used to feed coins in any direction.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10798696

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (4)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 1996
  • 1996-08-20 GB GBGB9617427.1A patent/GB9617427D0/en active Pending
• 1997
  • 1997-08-06 AU AU37787/97A patent/AU3778797A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1997-08-06 JP JP10510477A patent/JP2000517444A/ja active Pending
  • 1997-08-06 WO PCT/GB1997/002097 patent/WO1998008198A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1997-08-06 EP EP97934645A patent/EP0927407A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-08-06 CN CN97197412A patent/CN1228859A/zh active Pending
  • 1997-08-12 TW TW086111520A patent/TW359804B/zh active
  • 1997-08-19 ZA ZA9707428A patent/ZA977428B/xx unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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