U.S. patent number 3,910,394 [Application Number 05/295,987] was granted by the patent office on 1975-10-07 for apparatus for selecting coins.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Daiwa Seiko Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Takeshi Fujita.
United States Patent |
3,910,394 |
Fujita |
October 7, 1975 |
Apparatus for selecting coins
Abstract
An apparatus to be incorporated in a automatic vending machine
or the like for mechanically selecting coins particularly by
detecting whether coins have a milled peripheral edge. A coin
selecting annular member formed on its periphery with indentations
and projections engageable with those of a genuine coin projects
into a passage along which coins roll down in upright position. The
selecting member is loosely and eccentrically supported on a pin
fixedly disposed above the passage such that the projections
substantially block part of upper portion of the passage. When a
coin strikes against the selecting member, the selecting member
rocks on the support pin to permit the milled edge of the coin to
mesh with that of the selecting member, whereby the selecting
member is substantially rotated and raised. Thus only genuine coins
are allowed to pass by the selecting member. Other coins or the
like are stopped in the passage by the projections of the selecting
member or caused to drop thereafter. A second selecting member
rotatably disposed in the rear of the selecting member has a
projecting piece which projects to a greater extent than the
projections on the first-mentioned selecting member and blocks part
of upper portion of the passage. In this construction, the first
selecting member has a lever portion which rests on the second
selecting member to load the same with its weight. The first
selecting member, when rotationally raised as above, frees the
second selecting member from its weight, permitting the second
selecting member to be rotated by striking force of a rolling coin.
Accordingly, genuine coins pass by the first and second selecting
members. The apparatus comprising the first and second selecting
members thus assures secondary selection.
Inventors: |
Fujita; Takeshi (Higashi-Osaka,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Daiwa Seiko Co., Ltd.
(JA)
|
Family
ID: |
23140094 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/295,987 |
Filed: |
September 29, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
194/331 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07D
5/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G07F 003/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;194/97R,97A,102 |
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
332,253 |
|
Jul 1930 |
|
GB |
|
459,504 |
|
Jan 1937 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Knowles; Allen N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Armstrong, Nikaido & Wegner
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In an apparatus for selecting coins by detecting the peripheral
milled edge of the coin and the diameter of the coin wherein a
passage adapted for the rolling passage of coins in an upright
position is provided at its one side with a tumbling window
narrower than the outer diameter of a genuine coin including the
projections of the milled edge thereof characterized by a support
pin disposed at one side of said passage above said window and
having a circular section and an annular selecting member having a
precisely circular pin bore and a milled periphery complementary to
and in conformity with the milled edge of the coin and
eccentrically loosely supported on said pin to permit part of the
milled periphery to project from said window continuously, the
milled periphery of said selecting member being meshable with the
milled edge of the genuine coin when said selecting member is in
its uppermost elevated position.
2. In an apparatus for selecting coins by detecting the peripheral
milled edge of the coin characterized by a support pin disposed
above and at one side of a passage adapted for the rolling passage
of coins in an upright position, a first selecting member having an
annular base portion and a precisely circular bore loosely
supported at its circular bore on said support pin, the annular
base portion of said selecting member having a milled periphery
including at least one projection meshable with the milled edge of
a genuine coin, said selecting member being so positioned as to
cause the milled periphery thereof to block part of the upper
portion of said passage, the milled periphery being meshable with
the milled edge of the genuine coin when the base portion is in its
uppermost elevated position, and a second selecting member disposed
close to said first selecting member and having a stopper piece
projectable into said passage to a greater extent than the milled
base portion of said first selecting member, said first and second
selecting members being retainable in balance with each other
before coin selection with the milled portion and stopper piece
thereof partially blocking said passage respectively, said first
selecting member being movable out of said passage for coin
selection to thereby move said second selecting member and disturb
the balance between said members, said first and second selecting
members being returnable to balance again after coin selection.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for mechanically
selecting coins to be incorporated in an automatic vending machine
or the like, more particularly to a novel apparatus for selecting
coins in accordance with whether coins have a peripheral milled
edge.
With means for mechanically selecting true coins generally known,
true coins are selectively separated from false coins in accordance
with the thickness of coin, weight of coin or by detecting the
milled edge of coin.
In the case of any of these selecting means, it is required that
the selecting means can be incorporated in an automatic vending
machine with a minimum space. Accordingly, coins dropped into the
machine may advantageously be rollingly travelled in upright
position and checked for genuineness during rolling travel to
effect selection. It is also required that the selection be
conducted within a relatively short period of time without impeding
the rolling movement of the coin while it is passed through a
selecting passage in upright position.
A conventional device fo selecting coins according to the outer
diameter of the coins has a striplike tumbling window at one side
of the selecting passage so as to effect selection depending upon
whether the outer peripheral corner of the coin will be caught on
the upper frame of the window. Such selecting means fails to
achieve accurate selection of coins, because a coin dropped into
the selecting passage will strike against the upper face of a rail
for guiding the coin and, due to the resulting counteraction, will
jump or bounce within the selecting passage to perform wavelike
motion without travelling straight. For this reason, it may be
attempted to effect selection after jumping or bouncing has been
remedied, but this requires an elongated window to render the
selecting device greater in its entirety. The foregoing requirement
can not be fulfilled therefore.
In addition, since the selecting means utilizing the tumbling
window performs selection by checking the outer peripheral corner
of the coin, it is impossible to conduct reliable selection for
coins whose peripheral corner has been worn out due to a long
period of use.
Because of these drawbacks, there is provided a device of the
complex type comprising means for selecting coins according to the
coin diameter in combination with means for selecting according to
the thickness of weight of coins or some other means, but various
modes of selecting operations involved mitigate the rolling force
of coin, require a longer time for selection and render the device
more complex, making it impossible to obtain an efficient selector
at a low cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an apparatus for selecting coins by
checking whether coins have an outer peripheral milled edge which
fulfils the requirement described and is free of problems and
drawbacks heretofore experienced.
An object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which is
compact in its entirety and capable of selecting genuine coins
easily and accurately within a short period of selecting time.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherein
wavelike motion of the dropped-in coin due to its jumping and
bouncing within the selecting passage is suppressed so as to
eliminate inaccuracy of coin selection resulting from the wavelike
motion and need to elongate the selecting passage.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherein
a selecting member is adapted to be positioned not above the outer
peripheral corner of the coin but immediately above the outer
peripheral face thereof so that coins whose peripheral corner is
worn out or damaged can be checked for the selection of genuine
coins easily and accurately.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus
including a first selecting member and a second selecting member
arranged in series in corelationship so as to assure more reliable
selection of true coins dropped into the apparatus.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus wherein
when the selecting members have performed their function, they can
be returned, due to gravity, to the original position
instantaneously and automatically for the subsequent selecting
operation.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus
for selecting coins by detecting the outer peripheral milled edge
thereof which apparatus is also capable of selecting coins in
accordance with the outer diameter of the coins.
In order to fulfil the foregoing objects, the apparatus of this
invention includes a selecting passage defined by the inner walls
of a pair of front and rear side walls disposed in opposing
relation and the upper face of a rail member fixed to one of the
side plates and inclined in one direction.
FIxedly positioned above the selecting passage is a support pin on
which is supported a selecting member in rockable manner, the
selecting member being disposed between the inner walls of the side
walls and positioned exactly above the rail member.
The selecting member is an annular member formed on its peripheral
face with indentations and projections meshable with the milled
edge of the true coin and has a pin bore having a greater diameter
than the support pin. The selecting member is eccentrically
supported on the support pin, with the pin loosely extending
through the pin bore, with the result that the projections
substantially block part of upper portion of the selecting
passage.
When a coin strikes against the selecting member while rollingly
travelling under the inertial force, the rolling force and the
resulting striking force rock the selecting member on the support
pin, permitting the indentations and projections of the coin to
mesh with those of the selecting member, whereby the selecting
member is rotated on the pin and raised to reach the uppermost
position, where the member permits a true coin to pass through the
passage.
According to another embodiment, there is provided, to the rear of
the selecting member, a rotatably supported second selecting member
from which extends a projecting piece that projects to a greater
extent than the projections on the first-mentioned selecting
member. In this embodiment, the first selecting member has a
rearwardly extending lever portion integrally formed therewith. The
lever portion rests on the upper face of the second selecting
member to load the same with its weight.
The first selecting member, when rotationally moved upward, frees
the second selecting member from its weight, permitting the second
selecting member to be rotated under the striking force of the
rolling coin. Consequently, the projecting piece is pushed up to
allow only a true coin to pass through the passage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects, features and advantages of this invention
will become more apparent from the following description with
reference to accompanying drawings showing embodiments of this
invention for illustrative purposes only, in which:
FIG. 1 is a front view of a selector embodying the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3-I is a front view showing a principal embodiment of the
present invention and FIG. 3-II is a sectional view taken along the
line 3--3 in FIG. 3-I, FIGS. 3-I and 3-II showing the embodiment
before a selecting operation;
FIG. 4-I is a front view showing the embodiment during the
selecting operation;
FIG. 4-II is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 in FIG.
4-I;
FIGS. 5-I and 5-II are enlarged views showing the principal parts
of embodiment of this invention, more specifically a coin and a
selecting member in meshing engagement;
FIGS. 6-I and 6-II are front views showing another useful
embodiment of this invention before and after the selecting
operation respectively, this embodiment being provided with second
selecting means;
FIGS. 7-I and 7-II are front views corresponding to FIG. 3-I and
showing two modified embodiments respectively; and
FIGS. 8-I and 8-II are front views corresponding to FIG. 6-I and
showing two modified embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the appearance of a
coin selector including an apparatus of the present invention. The
drawings show a coin inlet 1, tumbling window 2, true coin outlet 3
and false coin outlet 4. The true coin drops in through the coin
inlet 1 and rolls in upright position along a selecting passage 5
as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 toward the outlet 3 while being
subjected to selection.
The passage 5 is defined by front and rear side plates 8 and 8 and
a rail member 9. The side plates 8 serve as a selector base and
adapted to be opened and closed about a pivot 7 on which a spring 6
is wound. The rail member 9 is fixedly positioned below the
tumbling window 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the passage 5 is so designed
that both side plates 8 and 8 are spaced apart by such a distance
as to permit the coin to roll down in upright position and are
retained in the predetermined spaced relation under the action of
the spring 6. Thus a coin dropped in through the inlet 1 against
the upper face of the rail member 9 inclined in one direction
subsequently rolls down toward the outlet 3 due to inertial
force.
For this purpose, one end of the rail member 9 extends to a
position immediately below the inlet 1, with the other end thereof
extending further rightward from the window 2 as seen in FIG. 1.
The upper face of the rail member 9 is in parallel to the upper
edge 2a of the window 2, the distance therebetween being slightly
smaller than the outer diameter of the true coin.
The apparatus of this invention is provided, at an intermeidate
portion of the selecting passage 5, with a selecting member for
checking whether coins have a milled edge or not on its outer
periphery. A principal example of such arrangement will be
illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein the selecting
member is disposed in the vicinity of the tumbling window 2 by
utilizing one of the side plates 8 and 8.
The selecting member 10 is in the form of a precisely circular iron
ring formed on its outer periphery with indentations 12 and
projections 12a which are identical in pitch and shape to
indentations 11 and projections 11a which are usually formed on the
outer periphery of a genuine coin C. The selecting member 10 has a
pin bore 13 which is smooth-surfaced.
The selecting member 10 is disposed in position by utilizing one of
the side plates 8 formed with the tumbling window 2.
More specifically, a support pin 14 such as a screw pin having a
flange 14a and threaded portion 14b extends through the side plate
8 at a position slightly above the upper edge 2a of the window 2
and is secured by a nut. To support the member 10, the pin 14
extends through the pin bore 13.
Since the pin bore 13 of the selecting member 10 has a greater
diameter than the stem of the support pin 14, while the flange 14a
is greater in diameter than the pin bore 13, the selecting member
10 can be eccentrically supported on the pin 14 with play as
apparent in FIG. 3, with the result that the projections 12a
project from the upper edge 2a of the window 2 to usually block
part of upper portion of the selecting passage 5.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the coin C rolls on the upper face of the
rail member 9 in an upright position and comes into striking
contact with the selecting member 10. If the coin C is a genuine
coin, the resulting impact rocks the selecting member 10 and the
indentations 11 and projections 11a come into meshing engagement
with those 12 and 12a of the member 10 as if in the case of gears.
Consequently, the member 10 and coin 10 begin to rotate in opposite
directions. Thus, the selecting member 10 is raised gradually.
The amount of play of the selecting member 10 at its pin bore 13
relative to the support pin 10 is such that when the selecting
member 10 is raised to its uppermost position as illustrated in
FIG. 4, the true coin C can pass through the passage where the
selecting member 10 is disposed. This assures that after the member
10 has been raised to the uppermost position, the coin and the
member 10 will still rotate in opposite directions through the
meshing engagement between their milled edges, whereby the coin is
selected as acceptable.
The coin C may strike against the selecting member 10 with the
projection 12a coming into contact with the projection 11a as shown
in FIG. 5-I, which will possibly result in unsatisfactory meshing
engagement and therefore inaccurate selection. However, according
to this invention, the selecting member 10 having the pin bore 13
which is greater in diameter than the support pin 14 is
eccentrically supported on the pin 14 with a predetermined amount
of play, so that when the projections 12a and 11a contact with each
other as shown in FIG. 5-I, the rolling and striking force of the
coin C slightly raises the selecting member 10, permitting fitting
engagement between the milled edges 11, 11a and 12, 12a, followed
by rotation of the coin and the member 10 in opposite directions as
in gear meshing. As a result, the coin C is selected as acceptable
as shown in FIG. 5-II, inaccurate selection thus being
eliminated.
If a counterfeit coin having no corrugations on its outer periphery
but having the same diameter as the outer diameter (which refers to
a maximum diameter of the coin) of the true coin C strikes against
the front of the selecting member 10, the resulting impact will
raise and rotate the member 10. However, the member 10 when raised
to the uppermost position defines the passage for the true coin
having a milled edge and is prevented from further rotation by
being held between the support pin 14 and coin, with the result
that the projections 12a of the member 10 substantially block the
upper portion of the passage 5, holding the counterfeit coin having
no peripheral corrugations between the projections 12a and the rail
member 9. The selecting member 10 therefore stops the coin by its
front face.
Coins C' having a greater diameter than the true coin C are stopped
by the front face of the selecting member 10 irrespective of
whether they are formed with a peripheral milled edge, because the
selecting member 10 when brought to the uppermost position will
then be stopped against rotation by being clamped between the pin
14 and coin C' as seen in FIG. 4-I, the member 10 at this position
defining the space which permits passage of the true coin C.
Coins with or without a milled edge and having a smaller diameter
than the true coin C are pushed toward a tumbling window 2 by a
pusher arm 15 attached to the side plate 8 as seen in FIGS. 3-II
and 4-II, tumbled from the window 2 as seen in FIG. 4-II, derailed
from the rail member 9 to drop automatically. For this purpose, the
pusher arm 15 is pivotable supported at 16 on the side plate 8 and
fixedly provided with a weight 17, with its distal end 15a pushed
into the selecting passage 5 all the time and adapted to be in
contact with the front or rear of the coin C. Further as shown in
FIGS. 3-II and 4-II, the front wall of the rail member 9 is formed
with a slanting face 9a to permit the tumbled coin C' to drop
smoothly. The window 2 is provided with a coin receiver 2b and a
coin discharge lever 2c which is formed by bending one side wall 8
toward the other side wall 8 as already known.
The coin C which has been selected as acceptable rolls down and
drops through the true coin outlet 3 shown in FIG. 1 under the
inertial force, while the counterfeit coin C' stopped in front of
the selecting member 10 is pushed by the lever 2c and drops through
the outlet 4 by opening the side plates 8 and 8 pivotally about the
pin 7 against the spring 6. The selecting member 10 is then
automatically returned due to gravity as illustrated in FIG. 3 and
made ready for a selecting operation.
It is noted that the coin dropped in through the inlet 1, when
striking the rail member 9, performs a wavelike motion B as
indicated in FIG. 3 due to the resulting counteraction.
The wavelike motion B is suppressed by providing the selecting
member 10 as close as possible to the inlet 1 to cause the coin to
strike against the member 10. This arrangement renders the
striplike window 2 short to the greatest possible extent and
consequently makes the selector compact in its entirety.
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 6-I and 6-II is adapted for a
secondary selection. More specifically, to the rear of the
selecting member 10 there is provided a second selecting member 18
which is mounted coaxially, but not eccentrically, on a support pin
19 in rotatable manner. The selecting member 18 includes at its
under side a projecting piece 20 which projects substantially to a
greater extent than the projections 12a on the first selecting
member 10. The projecting piece 20 has a slanting front face
20a.
The slanting face 20a serves not to mitigate the rolling force of
the coin C and the projecting piece 20 participates in the
secondary selection.
The second selecting member 18 is formed in its rear portion with a
sectorlike notch 21 into which extends the front end of a stopper
23 fixedly mounted on a support pin 22. Thus the range of rotation
of the member 18 is limited by the stopper 23 and the upper and
lower walls of the notch 21. As seen in FIG. 6-I, the engagement of
the upper wall 21a with the stopper 23 substantially determines the
amount of projection of the projecting piece 20 which partially
blocks the passage 5. Engagement of the lower wall 21b with the
stopper 23 clears the passage 5 of the projecting piece 20.
The second selecting member 18 is formed at its upper side with a
flat face 24, on which a lever portion 25 of the first selecting
member 10 rests. Thus, the second selecting member 18 is loaded
with the first selecting member 10. The lever portion 25 extends
from the first selecting member 10 rearwardly thereof and
integrally therwith and has a stepped portion 25a in its lower
portion.
The rotational upward movement of the first selecting member 10
already described frees the second selecting member 18 from the
weight of the member 10. After passing under the first selecting
member 10, the coin C strikes against the projecting piece 20 of
the second selecting member 18 and pushes up the same with the
striking force, whereby the secondary selection is achieved. The
embodiment of FIGS. 6-I and 6-II is advantageous in that should the
first selecting member 10 accidentally permit the passage of a
false coin which is milled on its outer periphery and is similar to
the true coin in pitch of the corrugations and outer diameter, the
projecting piece 20 projecting largely will stop the false coin to
effect the secondary selection.
In this embodiment, the rotation of the first selecting member 10
is limited by a stopper 27 fixedly mounted on a support pin 26
positioned to the front of the member 10, the arrangement being
such that when the lever portion 25 comes into contact with the
stopper 27 as illustrated in FIG. 6-II, the first selecting member
10 reaches the uppermost position. The front end 27a of the stopper
27 which is positioned slightly above the upper edge 2a of the
window regulates the wavelike motion B of the coin.
As shown in FIGS. 7-I, 7-II, 8-I and 8-II, it is possible to
provide a rotor 29 coaxially with a support pin 28 in opposing
relation to the first selecting member 10, the rotor 29 being
formed on its periphery with indentations 30 and projections 30a
similar to those on the member 10 and so disposed that the
proejctions 30a project from the upper face of the rail member 9.
In this construction, it is necessary to cut out the rail member 9
as at 31 and to position the rotor 29 in the cutout 31 with a pin
32 rotatably supporting the rotor.
Furthermore, instead of the rotor 29, it is possible to form
indentations 33 and projections 33a directly on the upper face of
the rail member 9. According to these two types of construction,
the milled edge can be checked at upper and lower positions.
Although several embodiments have been described with reference to
the drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
various modifications and alterations such as described can be
made. For instance, the indentations 12 and projections 12a may be
formed in part of the periphery of the selecting member 10.
Thus the present invention is not limited only to the detailed
disclosure herein given and illustrated but includes the desired
changes and modifications within the scope of the invention as set
forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *