GB1221663A - Improvements relating to vending machines - Google Patents

Abstract

1,221,663. Coin totalizer and vending machine; counters. SIGMATRON Ltd. 12 May, 1969 [10 May, 1968], No. 22347/68. Headings G4D and G4V. A coin totalizer for use with a vending machine dispenser comprises six pulse generators 13a to 13f which, on insertion of a penny, a threepence or a sixpence, send one, three, or six pulses respectively to an integrated circuit binary counter 16. The vending machine includes a commodity release circuit responsive to the counter. On insertion of a coin, microswitch 10, 11 or 12 is closed and a monostable circuit pulse generator 13a, 13c or 13f sends a pulse to line 14 after 5mS and also causes all the pulse generators corresponding to lower coin values to be triggered in turn and send a pulse to line 14 at 5mS intervals one after the other. The counter 16 is connected to a resistor (or diode) decoder 18 having fifteen selector sockets 19, each corresponding to a different money value. The decoder 18 can be connected to commodity releasing relay circuits 20a to 20d by rotary switches, or by way of sockets 19, plugs 21 and a bi-stable thyristor circuit for each commodity (Fig. 3, not shown), included in the relay circuits. A circuit 28 resets the counter to zero and blocks the pulse generators if the electrical supply fails and also before a coin is inserted. In a modification (Fig. 5, not shown), the totalizer can count in tens by the addition of a further coin contact and a monostable circuit connected to the generator 13d so that, on insertion of a sixpence, six pulses are generated as before and then generator 13d is actuated by the monostable to generate four more pulses. Between each microswitch and its generator there may be a resistor or a capacitor, the latter operating to prevent a false count if the microswitch sticks. To prevent error signals, a gate may be provided which only allows pulses into the counter for 50mS.