Patent ID: 7494001
Filing Date: 2009-02-24
Classification: G07D,G07F

Abstract:
1. A coin deposit apparatus comprising: a separating-supplying section for transporting a group of coins separately, the group of coins being deposited one at a time; an identifying section for identifying the type of coin transported by the separating-supplying section; an eliminating section for eliminating coins rejected based on the identification results made by the identifying section; a distribution section for distributing coins identified as acceptable based on the identification results made by the identifying section; a plurality of temporary storage sections for storing the coins, distributed by the distribution section, temporarily therein; a plurality of container sections having upper openings for receiving the coins from a plurality of the temporary storage sections, the received coins being contained in the container sections; a carriage section detachable from a main body of the apparatus, the carriage section having castors, a plurality of the container sections being mounted onto the carriage section detachably; and a carriage-locking section capable of locking the carriage section attached to the apparatus main body, wherein each one of a plurality of the container sections is provided with a shutter capable of opening and shutting the upper opening and a closed position locking member for locking the shutter in a closed position, and a shutter-locking activating section is provided in the apparatus main body so that each shutter of the plurality of the container sections mounted on the carriage section is moved to the closed position, and the shutter is locked in the closed position by the closed position locking member, wherein: each one of the plurality of the container sections is provided with a force-applying section for moving the shutter to the closed position by applying a force and an open-position-locking member for locking the shutter in an open position, the carriage section is provided with a plurality of detachable sections onto each of which the container section is mounted respectively, each detachable section being provided with a pre-collection lock-releasing section which engages with the open-position-locking member of the container section, and the pre-collection lock-releasing section being capable of releasing the shutter locked in an open position by the open-position-locking member, the shutter-locking activating section of the apparatus main body moves the shutter to the closed position by the force-applying section by activating the pre-collection lock-releasing section of the carriage section and releasing the locked state of the shutter locked in the open position by the open-position-locking member, each one of the plurality of the container sections is provided with a releasing-movement locking section for locking the releasing of the locked state of the open-position-locking member, each one of the plurality of the detachable sections of the carriage section is provided with an attached-state-lock-releasing section for releasing the locked state of the releasing-movement locking section by engaging the attached-state-lock-releasing section with the releasing-movement locking section of the container section by attaching the container section to the detachable section, each one of the plurality of the container sections is provided with a shutter-position detecting member, positioned at a detection position, contacting a part of the shutter when the shutter is in an open position, the apparatus main body is provided with a plurality of detecting sections for detecting as to whether the shutter-position detecting member of the plurality of the container sections mounted on the carriage section is positioned at the detection position; and a control section for locking the carriage section attached to the apparatus main body by the carriage-locking section if the positions of the shutters of all the container sections are detected in the open positions by a plurality of the detecting sections, the control section is provided with a warning section for sounding an alarm if the detection by a plurality of the detecting sections indicates that any one of the shutters of the container sections is not in the open position, and the control section releases the locked state between the carriage section and the apparatus main body by the carriage-locking section if the detection by a plurality of the detecting sections indicates that the shutters of all the container sections are not at the open positions.