GB2033354A - Coin dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In a coin dispensing machine 10 having at least one cylindrical cartridge 11 which contains a stack of coins 20, the lowermost coin in the stack 20a is pushed out from the bottom of the stack by a pair of pushing fingers 40 and displaces an arm 30 which operates a counting mechanism through a microswitch 33. The pushing fingers 40 act on each side of the rearmost central part of the edge of the coin, so as to pass on either side of the count arm 9. Each pushing finger 40 runs in a channel 14 in a base 12 which bears the weight of the stack of coins 20. Projections 42 at the ends of the pushing fingers engage with the lowermost coin 20a when the fingers are raised into an operating position by an arm 60 actuated by a solenoid 65. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Coin dispensing machine This invention relates to a coin dispensing machine.

There is known a coin dispensing machine wherein a plurality of cartridges, each accommodating coins of a given species, are provided and coins accumulated in at least one selected cartridge are pushed out, one at a time, from the lowermost by a selected finger or rod pusher into a coin dropping outlet while each of the coins being pushed is caused to be engaged with a counting arm which actuates a microswitch for counting. Each rod pusher is normally moved toward and away from the coin dropping outlet below the coins accumulated in the cartridge during non-operation. During operation, at least one selected rod pusher is brought up to an operating position or an upper position by a biasing means and pushes the lowermost coin out of the cartridge into the coin dropping outlet.

In a conventional construction, rod pushers are of a straight form over the length thereof and a single selected rod pusher is adapted to push the lowermost coin of the coins accumulated in one selected cartridge at the center portion of the periphery of the lowermost coin. Therefore, when the rod pusher pushes the lowermost coin and separates it from the stacked coins, the remaining stacked coin ride on the rod pusher and thus the weight of the stacked coins put a load on the rod pusher. Consequently, the rod pusher is caused to be lowered against the action of a biasing means or a select arm. This means that the rod pusher disengages from the coin being pushed and does not push the coin any further.

Further, in a conventional construction, the count arm for counting the number of the pushed coins is usually disposed just behind the cartridge so that the coin being pushed is forced to ride on the edge of the count arm at the longitudinally center line or diametrical line of the coin.

Therefore, the rod pusher which is adapted to push the center portion of the periphery of the coin should be stopped before the count arm, that is, the rod pusher cannot be moved beyond the count arm because it is obstructed by the count arm. This means which the coin being pushed sometimes is not moved sufficiently to be introduced into the coin dropping outlet and thus the coin cannot drop down because the coin is clamped between the upper surface of the coin dropping outlet or the lower surface of the frame and the edge of the count arm.

The present invention provides a coin dispensing machine having at least one stack of coins in which machine the lowermost coin in a stack is pushed sideways from the stack to a discharge outlet by a set of laterally spaced apart fingers which act on the edge of the coin, and the sideways displacement of the coin is mechanically detected by at least one pivoted member disposed in the path of the coin and aligned with an interdigital space between two of the fingers.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a coin dispensing machine according to the present invention, Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main portion of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2, Figure 4 is a plan view of a pair of fingers or rod pushers used in the coin discharge machine according to the invention, and Figure 5 is a side view of one of the pair of fingers or rod pushers.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a coin dispensing machine 10. The machine 10 is provided with a plurality of cartridges 11 for accommodating coins of various species so that each cartridge accommodates coins of a different species. For clarity of illustration, one of the cartridges and members associated therewith will be explained.

The cartridge 11 of a hollow cylindrical form is joined at the bottom end thereof to a circular support plate 1 2 and is supported on the frame of the machine as shown in Figure 3. The support plate 12 is formed with a reduced circular extension 1 5 upwardly coaxially of the support plate body. The support plate is also formed with two parallel grooves 14 which extend through the opposite sides thereof in a direction toward a coin dropping outlet 1 7 as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

Coins to be pushed are accumulated or stacked in the cartridge 11 and the lowermost coin 20a is supported on the upper surface 16 of the extension 1 5. The lowermost coin 20a is pushed by a pair of fingers or rod pushers 40, which will be explained hereinafter in more detail, toward the coin dropping outlet 1 7 between the lower surface 1 8 of the frame and an edge 30a of a count arm 30 from the cartridge. The coin thus pushed and then introduced into the coin dropping outlet 1 7 falls down a discharge cylinder 21 into a carton 22 disposed in a coin receiving section 23.

The count arm 30 of L-shaped form is disposed just behind the cartridge 11 and is pivotably mounted at 31. The count arm 30 is supported on a microswitch 33 mounted on the frame of the machine so that the edge 30a of the count arm 30 is engaged with the lower surface 1 8 through adjustment of a bolt 36 riding on an actuator 35 of the microswitch 33 which serves to close contacts 34, only one of which is shown in Figure 2. The edge of the count arm is disposed so that the coin being pushed by the pair of rod pushers is forced to ride on the edge of the count arm at the longitudinally center line or diametrical line of the coin.Therefore, when the lowermost coin 20a is pushed and forced to ride on the edge of the count arm and thereby to move through between the lower surface 18 of the frame 13 and the edge 30a of the count arm 30, the count arm is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction about a pivot 31 and thus the bolt 36 depresses the actuator 35 of the microswitch 33 to close contacts 34, giving a count.

The pair of rod pushers 40 is disposed adjacent the support plate 12 and are integrally formed with the base 41 of the rod pushers so that two rod pushers are parallel to each other. Each rod pusher is provided at the end thereof with a triangle projection 42 on the upper surface 43 of the rod pusher. The base 41 is pivotably mounted on one end of a bell crank 45 at a pivot pin 46.

The bell crank 45 is pivotably mounted on the frame of the machine at a pivot 47 and the other end thereof is pivotably mounted at a pivot pin 51 on an interlocking rod 50 at one end thereof, which is in turn pivotably mounted at the other end thereof on a pin 52 mounted on the peripheral portion of a rotary member 53 of a motor 54. The rod pusher is thus moved through the groove 14 toward and away from the coin dropping outlet when the motor 54 is actuated to cause the rotary member to be rotated. In this instance, in nonoperation condition or when a solenoid 65 is not actuated, which will later be explained in more detail, although the rod pusher 41 is moved toward and away from the coin dropping outlet 17, the projection 42 of the rod pusher 40 passes below the lowermost coin 20a and is not engaged with the same.

A select arm 60 is disposed under the pair of rod pushers 40 in engagement therewith and is biased by a tension spring 61 in an anti-clockwise direction. The select arm 60 is rigidly connected to a select bar 62 which is pivotably mounted at a pivot 63 and is connected to an actuator 64 of a solenoid 65. When at least one solenoid 65 is selectively actuated, the actuator 64 of the selected solenoid 65 causes the select bar 62 and, therefore, the select arm 60 to rotate in a clockwise direction against the action of the tension spring 61 and thereby to bring the pair of rod pushers 40 to an upper position or an operation position.In operation position, the projections 42 of the rod pushers 40 are engaged with the lowermost coin 20a at the side portions of the periphery thereof while the upper surfaces 43 of the rod pushers 40 and flush with or below the surface 1 6 of the extension 1 5. Therefore, the stacked coins do not put a load on the upper surfaces 43 of the rod pushers 40 since the lower, surface of the lowermost coin is not supported on the upper surfaces 43 of the rod pushers but on the surface 1 6 of the extension 1 5.

In the forward stroke of the rod pushers, the selected rod pushers are brought up to the upper position or to the operation position by energizing the selected solenoid 65 and, therefore, are caused to be engaged with the lowermost coin 20a accumulated in the cartridge 11. The lowermost coin 20a is then pushed out of the cartridge into the coin dropping outlet 1 7. In this instance, the rod pushers can push the coin beyond the edge 30a of the count arm 30 and can positively introduce the coin into the coin dropping outlet 1 7 in which the coin thus introduced drops down the discharge cylinder 21 into the carton 22 since the edge 30a of the count arm 30 does not disrupt the rod pushers 40.

In operation, as shown in Figure 1, a number of coins 20 are introduced into the cartridges 11.

The lowermost coins 20a are supported on the surfaces 1 6 of the extensions 1 5 of the support plates 12 and, therefore, the weight of the coins is loaded on the surfaces 1 6. As shown in Figure 1, while the pairs of rod pushers 40 are moved from the position shown in Figure 1 in which the pairs of the rod pushers 40 are spaced away from the support plates toward the grooves 41 of the support plates, one or more of the solenoids 65 are selectively actuated. In this forward stroke of rod pushers, the select arm 60 thus selected brings the pair of rod pushers up to an operation position.The rod pushers into the grooves 1 4 and only the selected one or more pairs of rod pushers become engaged with the lowermost coins 20a at the side portions thereof by the projections 42 and push the lowermost coins 20a out of the cartridge while the non-selected rod pushers are not engaged with the coins. Each coin thus pushed is forced to ride on the edge 30a of the count arm 30 and then passes between the lower surface 18 and the edge 30a. Consequently, the count arm is rotated to actuate the actuator 35 of the microswitch 33 to give a count. The coin is then further pushed beyond the edge 30a of the count arm 30 into the coin dropping outlet 17. Thus, the coin introduced into the coin dropping outlet 17 drops down the discharge cylinder 21 into the carton 22 disposed within the coin receiving section 23.

After the rod pushers finish pushing the coin, the selected rod pushers are lowered into a nonoperation position by deenergizing the solenoid 65 and are withdrawn in the backward stroke thereof.

Then, the rod pushers are ready for the next cycle.

In this instance, when the rod pushers 40 push the lowermost coin out of the cartridge 11, the coin next to the lowermost coin drops onto the surface 1 6 of the extension 1 5. Therefore, the weight of the coins accumulated in the cartridge put no loadon the rod pushers and do not cause the rod pushers to be lowered. Therefore, the rod pushers can continue to push the lowermost coin until the lowermost coin is fully introduced into the coin dropping outlet.

Claims (6)

1. A coin discharge machine wherein coins accumulated in at least one cartridge are pushed out from the cartridge, one at a time, from the lowermost by at least one selected pair of rod pushers into a coin dropping outlet, characterized in that each selected pair of rod pushers pushes the lowermost coin of coins accumulated in the cartridge at the side portions of the periphery thereof.

2. A coin discharge machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pair of rod pushers pushes the lowermost coin beyond an edge of a count arm for counting which is disposed to be engaged with the center portion of the periphery of the coin.

3. A coin dispensing machine having at least one stack of coins in which machine the lowermost coin in a stack is pushed sideways from the stack to a discharge outlet by a set of laterally spaded apart fingers which act on the edge of the coin, and the sideways displacement of the coin is mechanically detected by at least one pivoted member disposed in the path of the coin and aligned with an interdigital space between two of the fingers.

4. A machine according to claim 3 in which in their pushing movement the fingers pass underneath the stack of coins, and each finger has at its forward end an upward projection which engages the coin to be pushed, the arrangement being such that the fingers do not bear the weight of the stack.

5. A machine according to claim 4, in which the stack rests on a bed which has in its upper surface grooves in which the fingers run.

6. A coin dispensing machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.