U.S. patent number RE36,966 [Application Number 08/710,669] was granted by the patent office on 2000-11-21 for coin bank.
Invention is credited to Jerzy Perkitny.
United States Patent |
RE36,966 |
Perkitny |
November 21, 2000 |
Coin bank
Abstract
A coin bank which sorts coins and deposits them in containers is
disclosed. A coin or a group of coins is dropped into a coin
receiver. Each coin is removed one at a time from the coin receiver
and dropped into a helical coin path by a motorized separator
mechanism. The coins roll on edge along the coin path where they
encounter apertures of varying sizes. When a coin encounters an
aperture larger than its diameter, it falls out of the path to a
container. A mechanical coin sensor mechanism is provided to start
the separator when a coin is sensed in the coin receiver. The
sensor mechanism also delays the shut-off of the motor when coins
are no longer sensed in the coin receiver. The housing and most
parts of the bank are transparent to permit viewing of the sensor
mechanism and the coin path.
Inventors: |
Perkitny; Jerzy (Bay Village,
OH) |
Family
ID: |
26668053 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/710,669 |
Filed: |
August 19, 1996 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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000721 |
Oct 30, 1992 |
Des. 347929 |
Jun 14, 1994 |
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Reissue of: |
144709 |
Oct 28, 1993 |
05474496 |
Dec 12, 1995 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
453/9; 446/10;
453/57 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07D
3/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G07D
3/00 (20060101); G07D 3/08 (20060101); G07D
003/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;453/9,10,12,13,15,16,17,39,40,49,57 ;446/8,10 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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671602 |
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Nov 1965 |
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BE |
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0021567 |
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Jan 1981 |
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EP |
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6615183 |
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May 1967 |
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NL |
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412052 |
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Jun 1934 |
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GB |
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706981 |
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Apr 1954 |
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GB |
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914652 |
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Jan 1963 |
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GB |
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2130779 |
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Jun 1984 |
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GB |
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Other References
MagNif Inc. (Mentor, Ohio), MagNif Banks, Puzzles, Games, Gifts
(Catalog for Retailers) (1994)..
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Primary Examiner: Bartuska; F. J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fay, Sharpe, Fagan, Minnich &
McKee, LLP
Parent Case Text
.Iadd.This application is a continuation-in-part of design patent
application Ser. No. 29/000,721, filed on Oct. 30, 1992, which
issued as U.S. Pat. No. Des. 347,929, on Jun. 14, 1994. .Iaddend.
Claims
I claim:
1. A coin bank for sorting and storing coins of varying sizes, said
bank comprising:
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins, said coin receiver
having a sloping planar base, a lowermost portion to which the
unsorted coins are directed and a separator member mounted in
confronting relation to said planar base such that said separator
member is movable in a plane which is parallel to said base, a coin
sensor for detecting the presence of a coin in the lowermost
portion of the coin receiver and wherein said sensor controls an
electric motor for driving said separator member in response to the
presence of a coin in the lowermost portion.Iadd., .Iaddend.said
separator member having a thickness dimension in a direction
perpendicular to said planar base.Iadd., .Iaddend.which
.Iadd.thickness dimension .Iaddend.is .[.less than or equal to the
thinnest coin to be sorted and stored in said bank.].
.Iadd.approximately equal to a thickness of said planar
base.Iaddend., said separator member operating to separate a coin
from a group of coins and slide said coin along said planar base to
an opening in said planar base where said coin passes through said
base under the force of gravity.
2. A coin bank according to claim 1 wherein said sensor is
connected to a delay mechanism for delaying a shut-off of power to
said motor for a predetermined time.
3. A coin bank according to claim 1 wherein said separator member
is a rotatable disk having at least one notch formed therein.
4. A coin bank according to claim 1 wherein said coin bank includes
a helical coin path connected to said receiver to accept coins
which pass through said opening in said .[.recever.].
.Iadd.receiver .Iaddend.and in which helical coin path the coins
roll substantially on their edges and fall to the outside of said
helical path.
5. A coin bank according to claim 4 wherein said helical coin path
decreases in radius in a direction from the coin receiver to a coin
storage container.
6. A coin bank for sorting and storing coins of varying diameters,
said coin bank comprising:
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins;
a plurality of coin storage containers for storing sorted
coins;
a helical coin path located between said coin storage containers
and said coin receiver;
a separator for removing individual ones of said coins one at a
lime from said receiver and depositing each one in said path such
that each coin rolls along said path;
a plurality of apertures of varying size, each being sized to
permit passage of only coins having a diameter less than or equal
to a predetermined distance, said apertures being located along
said path such that each said aperture is spaced from the other
apertures and are arranged in increasing order of size such that
the smallest aperture is located at an upstream portion of said
path and the largest aperture is located at a downstream portion of
said path;
each coin rolling along said helical coin path substantially on its
edge and falling to the outside of said helical coin path and
through one of said apertures; and
wherein a coin storage container is located adjacent each said
aperture to catch coins of a particular size which pass through
said apertures from said path.
7. A coin bank according to claim 6 wherein said coin path has a
cylindrical outer wall for guiding coins in said path such that a
portion of a face of each coin rolling along said path contacts
said outer wall and wherein said apertures are formed in said outer
wall. .[.8. A coin bank according to claim 6 wherein said coin
receiver includes a coin sensor for sensing the presence of a coin
and for controlling said separator..]..[.9. A coin bank according
to claim 8 wherein said separator is powered by an electric motor
and said coin sensor forms part of a switching mechanism which
controls the power supply to said separator..]..[.10. A coin bank
according to claim 9 wherein said switching mechanism operates to
turn off power to said separator after a predetermined time has
elapsed from a time when the absence of a coin is sensed by said
sensor..]..[.11. A coin bank according to claim 10 wherein said
switching mechanism includes a timing mechanism for delaying the
turning off of said separator after the absence of coins in said
receiver is sensed..]..[.12. A coin bank for sorting and storing
coins of varying diameters, said coin bank comprising:
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins;
a plurality of coin storage containers for storing sorted
coins;
a coin path located between said coin storage containers and said
coin receiver;
a plurality of apertures of varying size, each being sized to
permit passage of only coins having a diameter less than or equal
to a predetermined distance, said apertures being located along
said path such that each said aperture is spaced from the other
apertures and are arranged in order of size;
wherein a coin storage container is located adjacent each said
aperture to catch coins of a particular size which pass through
said apertures from said path;
a cam and follower mechanism connected to said containers for
moving said
containers outwardly of said bank to facilitate their
removal..].13. A coin bank for sorting and storing coins of varying
sizes, said bank comprising:
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins, said receiver having
a sloping planar base and a separator member mounted in confronting
relation to said planar base such that said separator member is
movable in a plane which is parallel to said base, said separator
member having a thickness dimension in a direction perpendicular to
said planar base.Iadd., .Iaddend.which .Iadd.thickness dimension
.Iaddend.is .[.less than or equal to the thinnest coin to be sorted
and stored in said bank.]. .Iadd.approximately equal to a thickness
of said planar base.Iaddend., said separator member operating to
separate a coin from a group of coins and slide said coin along
said planar base to an opening in said planar base where said coin
passes through said base under the force of gravity, said coin
receiver includes a coin sensor for detecting the presence of a
coin in the lowermost portion of the coin receiver and wherein said
sensor controls an electric motor for driving said separator member
and said sensor is connected to a delay mechanism for delaying a
shut-off of power to said motor for a predetermined time. .[.14. A
coin bank for sorting and storing coins of varying diameters, said
coin bank comprising:
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins;
a plurality of coin storage containers for storing sorted
coins;
a helical coin path located between said coin storage containers
and said coin receiver;
a separator for removing individual ones of said coins one at a
time from said receiver and depositing each one in a said path such
that each coin rolls edgewise along said path;
a plurality of apertures of varying size, each being sized to
permit passage of only coins having a diameter less than or equal
to a predetermined distance, said apertures being located along
said path such that each said aperture is spaced from the other
apertures and are arranged in increasing order of size such that
the smallest aperture is located at an upstream portion of said
path and the largest aperture is located at a downstream portion of
said path;
wherein a coin storage container is located adjacent each said
aperture to catch coins of a particular size which pass through
said apertures from said path; and
wherein said coin path has a cylindrical outer wall for guiding
coins in said path such that a portion of a face of each coin
rolling along said path contacts said outer wall and wherein said
apertures are formed in said outer wall..]..[.15. A coin bank
according to claim 14 further including a coin sensor in said coin
receiver for sensing the presence of a coin, said separator is
powered by an electric motor and said coin sensor forms part of a
switching mechanism which controls the power supply to said
separator, wherein said switching mechanism operates to turn off
power to said separator after a predetermined time has elapsed from
a time
when the absence of a coin is sensed by said sensor..]..Iadd.16. A
coin handler for sorting and storing coins, said handler
comprising:
a housing having an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower
portion;
a funnel for receiving unsorted coins, said funnel located at the
upper portion of said housing;
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins from said funnel, said
coin receiver located below said funnel, said coin receiver having
a generally circular separator member for separating the coins,
said coin receiver located at the upper portion of said
housing;
four coin storage containers for storing sorted coins, said four
coin storage containers disposed on a common plane at the lower
portion of said housing; and,
a coin path disposed within the housing, said coin path
communicating said coin receiver with said four coin storage
storage containers, said coin path having a width less than a
height of said coin path, said coin path located at the middle
portion of said housing. .Iaddend..Iadd.17. A coin handler
according to claim 16 wherein said coin receiver is adapted to
receive a plurality of coins simultaneously. .Iaddend..Iadd.18. A
coin handler according to claim 16 wherein said coin receiver
includes a sloped planar base on which is mounted the separator
member. .Iaddend..Iadd.19. A coin handler according to claim 18
wherein the separator member comprises a disk having at least one
notch formed therein. .Iaddend..Iadd.20. A coin handler according
to claim 18 wherein said coin receiver includes a lever at a lower
portion of the sloped planar base. .Iaddend..Iadd.21. A coin
handler according to claim 16 wherein said coin path is helical.
.Iaddend..Iadd.22. A coin handler according to claim 16 wherein a
portion of each of said plurality of coin storage containers is
located laterally
outwardly of said coin path. .Iaddend..Iadd.23. A coin handler
according to claim 16 wherein the housing includes four apertures
at the middle portion of said housing, each aperture located above
one of said plurality of coin storage containers, each aperture
passing coins of a uniform diameter therethrough.
.Iaddend..Iadd.24. A coin handler according to claim 16 wherein
said four coin storage containers are cylindrical and have an inner
diameter only slightly larger than a diameter of the coins being
stored therein so that the coins are stacked in a column.
.Iaddend..Iadd.25. A coin bank for sorting and storing coins, said
bank comprising:
a funnel for receiving unsorted coins, said funnel located at the
upper portion of said housing;
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins from said funnel, said
coin receiver located below said funnel, said coin receiver having
a generally circular separator member for separating the coins,
said coin receiver located at the upper portion of said
housing;
four coin storage containers for storing sorted coins, said four
coin storage containers disposed on a common plane at the lower
portion of said housing; and,
a coin path disposed within the housing, said coin path
communicating said coin receiver with said four coin storage
containers, said coin path located at the middle portion of said
housing, said coin path having a generally vertical surface and a
generally horizontal surface, the generally vertical surface having
four spaced apertures, each aperture being located generally above
a respective one of said four coin storage containers, each
aperture passing coins of a uniform diameter therethrough.
.Iaddend..Iadd.26. A coin bank according to claim 25 wherein said
coin receiver is adapted to receive a plurality of coins
simultaneously. .Iaddend..Iadd.27. A coin bank according to claim
25 wherein said coin receiver includes a sloped planar base on
which is mounted the separator member. .Iaddend..Iadd.28. A coin
bank according to claim 27 wherein the separator member comprises a
disk having at least one notch formed therein. .Iaddend..Iadd.29. A
coin bank according to claim 27 wherein said coin receiver includes
an actuating arm at a lower portion of the sloped planar base.
.Iaddend..Iadd.30. A coin bank according to claim
25 wherein said coin path is helical. .Iaddend..Iadd.31. A coin
bank according to claim 25 wherein a portion of each of said four
coin storage containers is located laterally outwardly of said coin
path. .Iaddend..Iadd.32. A coin bank according to claim 25 wherein
said coin path has a width less than a height of said coin path.
.Iaddend..Iadd.33. A coin bank according to claim 25 wherein the
housing includes four apertures at the middle portion of said
housing, each aperture located above one of said four coin storage
containers, each aperture passing coins of a uniform diameter
therethrough. .Iaddend..Iadd.34. A coin bank according to claim 25
wherein said four coin storage containers are cylindrical.
.Iaddend..Iadd.35. A coin bank for sorting and storing coins, said
bank comprising:
a housing having an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower
portion;
a coin receiver for receiving unsorted coins, said coin receiver
located at the upper portion of said housing;
four coin storage containers for storing sorted coins, each of said
coin storage containers disposed on a common plane; and,
a helical coin path communicating said coin receiver with said four
coin storage containers, said helical coin path located at the
middle portion of said housing wherein a portion of each of said
plurality of said four coin storage containers is located radially
outwardly of said helical coin path. .Iaddend..Iadd.36. A coin bank
according to claim 35 wherein said coin receiver is adapted to
receive a plurality of coins simultaneously. .Iaddend..Iadd.37. A
coin bank according to claim 35 further comprising a funnel, which
feeds coins to the coin receiver, said funnel located at the upper
portion of said housing. .Iaddend..Iadd.38. A coin bank according
to claim 35 wherein said coin receiver includes a sloped planar
base and a separator member. .Iaddend..Iadd.39. A coin bank
according to claim 38 wherein the separator member comprises a disk
having at least one notch formed therein. .Iaddend..Iadd.40. A coin
bank according to claim 38 wherein said coin receiver includes a
lever at a lower portion of the
sloped planar base. .Iaddend..Iadd.41. A coin bank according to
claim 35 wherein said coin path has a width less than a height of
said coin path. .Iaddend..Iadd.42. A coin bank according to claim
35 wherein the housing includes four apertures at the middle
portion of said housing, each aperture located above a respective
one of said four coin storage containers, each aperture passing
coins of a uniform diameter therethrough. .Iaddend..Iadd.43. A coin
bank according to claim 35 wherein said four coin storage
containers are cylindrical. .Iaddend.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to coin banks, and more particularly, to
motorized coin banks having coin sorters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motorized coin banks which son coins are sold as toys or novelties.
Often, these banks flip or roll the coins as they are sorted. In
some cases, levers and wheels are made to pivot or spin to create
interesting visual effects.
In one motorized coin bank disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,990,
coins are made to roll on edge in a planar spiral path. Coins
encounter openings of varying sizes along the path and fall out of
the path at different locations to be sorted.
In another motorized bank disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,093,
coins are made to roll along rocking coin ramps where the coins
encounter openings of varying sizes and fall out of the path at
different locations to be sorted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Basically, the invention is a coin bank for sorting and storing
coins of varying diameters. The coin bank includes: a coin receiver
for receiving unsorted coins; a plurality of coin storage
containers for storing sorted coins; a helical coin path located
between the coin storage containers and the coin receiver; a
separator for removing individual coins one at a time from the
receiver and depositing each coin in the path such that each coin
rolls edgewise along the path; a plurality of apertures of varying
size, each being sized to permit passage of only coins having a
diameter less than or equal to a predetermined distance. The
apertures are located along the path such that each aperture is
spaced from the other apertures and are arranged in increasing
order of size such that the smallest aperture is located at an
upstream portion of the path and the largest aperture is located at
a downstream portion of the path. A coin storage container is
located adjacent each aperture to catch coins of a particular size
which pass through the apertures.
The preferred and illustrated coin bank includes a coin sensor in
the coin receiver for sensing the presence of a coin and for
controlling the separator.
In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, the coin path has a
cylindrical outer wall for guiding coins in the path such that a
portion of a face of each coin rolling along the path contacts the
outer wall and the apertures arc formed in the outer wall.
The separator is preferably powered by an electric motor and the
coin sensor forms part of a switching mechanism which controls the
power supply to the separator.
In the preferred and illustrated coin bank, the switching mechanism
operates to turn off power to the separator after a predetermined
time has elapsed from a time when the absence of a coin is
sensed.
The preferred switching mechanism includes a timing mechanism for
delaying the turning off of the separator after the absence of
coins in the receiver is sensed.
The preferred and illustrated coin bank includes a cam and follower
mechanism connected to the containers for moving the containers
outwardly of the bank to facilitate their removal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of coin bank according to the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the coin bank of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the upper housing, the
coin separator and the coin ramp of the coin bank;
FIGS. 4A-4F are side views of the separator and coin sensor
mechanism with portions removed, each view showing the mechanism at
a different stage;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross sectional views of the coin path;
FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a cam and follower mechanism and the
coin receivers with the upper part of the housing removed, the coin
receivers being shifted fully inward; and
FIG. 7 is a top plan view like FIG. 5 with the cam and follower
mechanism at a fully shifted outward position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A coin bank 12 embodying the present invention is illustrated in
FIGS. 1 and 2. The coin bank 12 includes an upper housing 14, a
coin funnel 16, a lower housing 18, a plurality of coin containers
22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, a separator assembly 24, and a coin ramp 26.
The upper housing 14 covers the separator mechanism 24 and the coin
ramp 26. The upper housing 14 attaches to the lower housing 18
which supports the coin containers 22A-22D. When a handful of coins
arc dropped into the coin funnel 16, they fall into the separator
assembly 24 and arc individually conveyed to the coin ramp 26. From
the coin ramp 26, each coin falls into a coin container 22A-22D
corresponding to its size. Most of the parts including the upper
and lower housings arc preferably constructed of transparent
plastic which permits the separator assembly 24, the coin ramp 26,
and the moving coins to be viewed which presents interesting visual
effects.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4A-4F, the coin separator assembly 24
includes a housing 28, a coin receiver 32, a separator wheel 34, a
coin opening 36, a motor 38, a motor control switch 42, a ratchet
arm 44, a coin sensor arm 46, a lifter arm 48, a pinion 52, a gear
54, and a lock arm 56. The separator assembly 24 serves to separate
individual coins from a group of coins in the receiver 32 and drop
each on the coin ramp 26. Additionally, the separator assembly 24
includes a timing mechanism for causing the motor 38 to run for a
predetermined time period even when the last coin in the receiver
32 is lifted from the coin sensor arm 46 thus assuring that the
last coin is deposited onto the coin ramp 26 before the motor 38
stops. A battery compartment (not shown) is provided in the lower
housing 18 for powering the motor 38.
FIG. 4A shows the rest position of the coin separator 24. No coins
are in the receiver 32. The sensor arm 46 is free to pivot about a
pin 60 and has an actuator end 62 and a weighted end 64. The
actuator end 62 occupies the lowermost space of the coin receiver
32 when the bank 12 is in its rest position. The gravitational pull
on the weighted end 64 is greater causing the arm 46 to pivot
counterclockwise when no coins are contacting the actuator end 62
as viewed in FIG. 4A. In the rest position, a pair of flexible
contact 58 of the motor control switch 42 are held open by a switch
actuator finger 66 which extends from the ratchet arm 44. Power to
the motor 38 is shut off when the switch 42 is open. The ratchet
arm 44 is pivotable about a pin 68. As seen in FIG. 4A, the ratchet
arm 44 is held in its counter clockwise position by the lock arm 56
which engages a set of ratchet teeth 72.
When a coin or a group of coins is dropped into the receiver 32,
the actuator end 62 is pushed down and the arm 46 is pivoted
clockwise to the position shown in FIG. 4B. The clockwise movement
of the sensor arm 46 causes the ratchet arm 44 to pivot clockwise
about pin 68 which allows the switch contacts 58 to return to their
closed position which starts the motor 38. A pin 85 pivotally
connects the lifter arm 48 to an off-center portion of the gear 54.
An outer pin 76 fixed to the sensor arm 46 pushes against a sloped
surface 78 of the lifter arm 48 when the sensor arm 46 pivots
clockwise causing the lifter arm 48 to pivot in a counterclockwise
direction about the pin 85. The pin 76 thus keeps a tooth 77 fixed
to the lifter arm 48 away from a set of lifter teeth 74. The lock
arm 56 has a toothed end 86 and a weighted end 88. The lock arm 56
is pivotable about the pin 60. The weighted end 88 is heavier
causing the lock arm 56 to be biased in the counterclockwise
direction against the ratchet teeth 72. When the sensor arm 46
moves clockwise in response to the weight of a coin, an inner pin
82, which extends from the side of the sensor arm 46 and through an
opening 84 in the lock arm 56, engages the lock arm 56 causing it
to pivot in a clockwise direction about the pin 60. This action
disengages the toothed end 86 from the ratchet teeth 72. Without
the resistance of the lock arm 56 or the lifter arm 48, the ratchet
arm 44 rotates clockwise about the pin 68 under the force of
gravity to close the switch 42. As long as at least one coin is in
the lower part of the coin receiver 32, the sensor arm 46 will be
kept in the position shown in FIG. 4A and the switch 42 will remain
closed.
The motor 38 drives the separator wheel 34 in a counterclockwise
direction as viewed in FIG. 3. The wheel 34 is preferably a disk
having four U-shaped notches 92 formed in its periphery. Each notch
92 is sized to be larger in width than the largest coin which is to
be sorted by the bank 12. The coin receiver 32 has a planar base 94
which is fixed to the upper housing 14 at a slope of approximately
45 degrees from horizontal. Coins tend to come to rest in the
lowermost portion of the receiver 32 with their faces contacting
the wheel 34 or the base 94. A wall 95 is formed about the
periphery of the planar base 94 to contain coins. An upper wall 97
of the housing also serves to contain coins dropped into the
receiver 32. When the wheel 34 is rotated, it will engage a coin
with the edge of one of its notches 92 and carry it upwards to the
opening 36 formed in the base 94 where the coin will fall into the
upper portion of the coin ramp 26. When a coin is engaged by the
wheel 34, its face contacts the base 94 while its edge is contacted
by the wheel 34. Each notch 92 receives a single coin and
transports it to the opening 36 until all of the coins are gone.
The thickness of the wheel 34 is chosen to be less than or equal to
the thickness of the thinnest coin to be sorted so that only one
coin at a time is engaged by each notch 92. .Iadd.The separator
wheel 34 has a thickness dimension approximately equal to a
thickness of the planar base 94, as is evident from FIG. 4A. The
separator wheel removes individual ones of the coins, one at a
time, from the receiver 32 and deposits each one in the opening 36.
.Iaddend.The opening 36 is large enough so that any coin has time
to fall clear of the wheel 34 even when the wheel 34 is rotating at
relatively high speed.
The steepness of the slope of the base 94 was chosen to ensure that
the frictional forces between stacked coins are not great enough to
cause more than one coin to be carried toward the opening 36 by a
given notch 92. That is, if the base 94 and the separator wheel 34
were positioned at an angle closer to horizontal, coins stacked on
top of the coin engaged by the notch might be carried to the
opening 36 which might cause a coin jam.
When no more coins remain in the receiver 32, the sensor arm 46 is
free to return to its counterclockwise position as shown in FIG.
4C. While the motor 38 is running, the lifter arm 48 is oscillated
due to its off-center connection to the rotating gear 54 which is
driven by the pinion 52. When the sensor arm 46 is in its clockwise
position (FIG. 4B) the pin 76 engages the sloped surface 78 and
prevents the moving tooth 77 on the lifter arm 48 from contacting
the lifter teeth 74. That is, the pin 76 moves the lifter arm 48
counterclockwise about the pin 85 and keeps the tooth 77 away from
the lifter teeth 74 as long as a coin remains in the receiver 32.
When there are no coins in the receiver 32, the pin 76 moves to a
different position of engagement with the sloped surface 78 and
causes the lifter arm 48 to pivot clockwise under the force of
gravity which permits the tooth 77 to engage the lifter teeth 74.
With the first oscillation of the lifter arm 48 after the sensor
arm 46 moves counterclockwise, the tooth 77 engages the uppermost
one of the lifter teeth 74 and pivots the ratchet arm 44
counterclockwise about the pin 68. This causes the toothed end 86
of the lock arm 56 to engage the uppermost tooth of the ratchet
teeth 72. With the lock arm 56 engaged with the ratchet teeth 72,
the ratchet arm 44 cannot pivot clockwise even when the lifter arm
48 disengages. The oscillation of the lifter arm 48 will cause it
to disengage the uppermost lifter tooth and move to engage the
second lifter tooth, and in the process, rotate the ratchet arm 44
further in the counterclockwise direction. See FIGS. 4D-4F. When
the ratchet arm 44 is again rotated counterclockwise, the lock arm
56 engages the second ratchet tooth and the switch arms 58 are
eventually opened by the finger 66 to shut off the motor 38. See
FIG. 4F and 4A. Even after the switch 42 is opened, momentum will
rotate the motor 38 for a short time. The time delay caused by the
movement of the ratchet arm 44 permits the last coin to be
transported to the coin opening 36 before the separator wheel 34
stops moving. The length of the delay is dependent upon the gear
ratio between the pinion 52 and the gear 54 and other factors.
However, the delay must be at least long enough for a coin to be
carried from the lowermost part of the receiver 32 to the opening
36 which is approximately one half revolution of the separator
wheel 34. In the preferred embodiment, the delay is set to be
approximately one revolution of the separator wheel 34.
Once a coin falls through the opening 36, it lands on edge in the
upper portion of the coin ramp 26. Under the influence of gravity,
each coin then rolls along a helical coin path 96 toward the coin
containers 22A-22D. Referring to FIG. 5A, a floor 98 of the coin
ramp is sloped to cause the bottom of each coin to roll along the
inside of the ramp 26. Centrifugal force and the sloped floor 98
cause the top of each coin to contact the outer wall 102 of the
ramp 26 as each coin rolls down the path 96. A plurality of
apertures 104A, 104B, 104C, 104D of varying sizes are formed in the
outer wall 102 at spaced locations along the path 96. Each aperture
104A-D corresponds to a particular coin size. The apertures 104A-D
are arranged in order of increasing size such that the smallest
aperture 104A is located upstream of all the others and the largest
aperture 104D is located downstream of all the others. When a coin
encounters an aperture 104A smaller in height than its diameter as
illustrated in FIG. 5B, it simply passes by. When a coin encounters
an aperture 104D larger in height than its diameter as illustrated
in FIG. 5A, it falls through the aperture 104D and into a coin
container 22D. Thus the coins are sorted according to their
size.
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a cam and follower mechanism 106 is
provided to shift the positions of the coin containers 22A-D
outward to facilitate their removal. The lower housing 18 supports
a plurality of receptacles 108A, 108B, 108C, 108D, each having an
extension 110A-110D and a follower pin 112. Each receptacle 108A-D
is slidable between an inner position shown in FIG. 6 and an outer
position shown in FIG. 7. A coin container 22A-D is held by each
receptacle 108A-D and is removable by lifting the container upward.
Each follower pin 112 is fitted inside a corresponding curved slot
114A-114D formed in a rotatable cam 116. The cam 116 is rotatable
about a fixed center axis 118 when a lever 120 is moved. When the
lever 120 is moved to rotate the cam 116 clockwise as viewed in
FIG. 6, the receptacles 108 are moved inward by the force of the
cam 116 on the follower pins 112. When the cam 116 is moved
counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 7, the receptacles 108A-108D are
moved outward. The containers 22A-22D are properly aligned with the
apertures 104A-104D when in their inner positions of FIG. 6. In
this position, the upper housing 14 prevents the removal of the
containers 22A-D from the receptacles. In the outer position, the
containers 22A-D are free from interference with the upper housing
14 and may be lifted and removed from the receptacles 108A-D. The
cam 116 may be connected to a spring which urges the cam 116
clockwise to hold the receptacles 108A-D in the inner position (not
shown).
While a preferred embodiment of this invention has been described
in detail, it will be apparent that certain modifications or
alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention set forth in the appended claims.
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