Patent ID: 6350192
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: G07D

Abstract:
A coin carrying device comprising:a carrying structure defining a carrying passage along which coins are to be carried from an entrance of said carrying passage to an exit of said carrying passage; a carrying mechanism to carry the coins along said carrying passage from the entrance of said carrying passage to the exit of said carrying passage; a coin separating member having a contact part to be laterally advanced into and retracted from said carrying passage; and a biasing member to bias said contact part of said coin separating member toward said carrying passage, such that as coins are being carried by said carrying mechanism along said carrying passage from the entrance of said carrying passage to the exit of said carrying passage and said biasing member is biasing said contact part of said coin separating member into said carrying passage, a peripheral portion of one of the coins contacts said contact part of said coin separating member and causes said contact part of said coin separating member to be urged against said biasing member away from said carrying passage, and as the one of the coins passes said contact part of said coin separating member said biasing member biases said contact part of said coin separating member into said carrying passage, whereby at least one of the following occurs (i) said contact part of said coin separating member comes into contact with another peripheral portion of the one of the coins such that the one of the coins is accelerated relative to the coin immediately behind the one of the coins, whereby within said carrying passage near the exit of said carrying passage the one of the coins becomes spatially separated from the coin immediately behind the one of the coins, and (ii) said contact part of said coin separating member comes into contact with a peripheral portion of the coin immediately behind the one of the coins such that the coin immediately behind the one of the coins becomes decelerated relative to the one of the coins, whereby within said carrying passage near the exit of said carrying passage the one of the coins becomes spatially separated from the coin immediately behind the one of the coins.