Patent ID: 6817938
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: G07D

Abstract:
A coin holder and dispenser for use in conjunction with a coin-operated slot machine comprising:a) a coin holder unit which includes (1) a base element which includes a hollow cylindrical base portion having a first end, a second end, an axial dimension which extends between the first end of the base portion and the second end of the base portion, an oute dimension, a cylindrical side wall connecting the first end of the base portion to the second end of the base portion, a coin-dispensing slot defined through the side wall of the base portion near the first end of the base portion, the coin-dispensing slot extending radially of the cylindrical base portion and including (A) a first edge which extends radially of the cylindrical base portion, and (B) a second edge, the second edge being spaced apart from the first edge in the direction of the axial dimension of the base portion, the second edge extending at an oblique angle with respect to the first edge and with respect to the axial dimension of the base portion, the second edge including a first end and a second end with the second end of the second edge being located closer to the second end of the base portion than the first end of the second edge, (2) a hollow cylindrical body portion having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between the first end of the body portion and the second end of the body portion, an inner surface, an outer surface, an outer dimension, and an inner dimension, the hollow cylindrical body portion being adapted to accommodate a plurality of coins, (3) the outer dimension of the base portion being larger than the outer dimension of the body portion, (4) the base portion being unitary with the body portion and being located adjacent to he first end of the body portion, and (5) the body portion having an access opening defined therein adjacent to the second end of the body portion; b) a cylindrical plunger which has an arcuate outer circumference, the outer circumference of the plunger being slightly smaller than the inner dimension of the body portion, the plunger having a first surface and a second surface and in use being slidably received in the body portion to move along the longitudinal axis of the body portion between a first position adjacent to the second end of the body portion and a second position adjacent to the first end of the body portion; c) an outer shell unit which includes (1) a hollow cylindrical body element which has a closed first end, a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between the first end of said outer shell unit and the second end of said outer shell unit, an outer surface having an outer dimension and an inner surface having an inner dimension, the inner dimension of the body element of said outer shell unit being larger than the outer dimension of the body portion of said coin holder unit, the body element of said outer shell unit further including an access opening defined in the second end of the body element of said shell unit, and a spring seat element on the closed first end of the body element of said outer shell unit, (2) an outer clip on the outer surface of the body element of said outer shell unit, the outer clip including a proximal end connected to the outer shell unit, a distal end and having a triangular shaped projection on the outer clip adjacent to the distal end, the outer clip being movably mounted on the outer shell unit to move between a coin-dispensing position with the distal end of the outer clip located adjacent to the outer shell unit and a retracted position with the distal end of the outer clip located spaced apart from the outer shell unit, and (3) the body portion of said coin holder unit being slidably received in the body element of said outer shell unit in use; d) a coin-moving plunger slidably mounted on the hollow cylindrical body portion to move between a coin-dispensing position and a retracted position, the coin-dispensing plunger including a distal end which is located to abut a coin located adjacent to the dispensing slot and force that coin out of the coin-dispensing slot when the outer clip is moved into the coin-dispensing position, the handle further including a proximal end, a hole defined through the plunger and sized to accommodate the distal end of the outer clip to connect the outer clip to the plunger, the projection being triangular in shape and sized to permit the outer clip to be attached to the plunger and to be released from the plunger; e) a lock unit releasably locking said coin holder unit to said outer shell unit when said lock is engaged, said lock unit including (1) a base section on the outer surface of the cylindrical body portion of said coin holder unit adjacent to the slot, (2) a catch groove defined in the base section of said lock unit, (3) a shoulder on the base section, (4) a catch element mounted on the outer surface of the body element of said outer shell unit adjacent to the second end of the body element of said outer shell unit, the catch element including (A) a pivot element mounted on the body element of said outer shell unit, (B) a lever element having a first end and a second end and being connected to the pivot element, the lever element forming a cylinder with an inner dimension that is larger than the outer dimension of the body element of said outer shell unit, the lever element being in surrounding relation with the body element of said outer shell unit, (C) a catch tooth on the first end of the lever element, the catch tooth including a leading shoulder that is adapted to engage the shoulder on the base section when said lock element is being engaged to releasably lock said coin holder unit to said outer shell unit, (D) the lever element being mounted on the outer surface of the body element of said outer shell unit by the pivot element to pivotally move between a first orientation with the catch tooth being located adjacent to a location which is in a surface containing the outer surface of the body element of said outer shell unit and a second orientation with the catch element being in a location spaced apart from the location which is in a surface containing the outer surface of the body element of said outer shell unit (E) the second end of the lever element moving between a first location adjacent to the outer surface of the body of said outer shell unit when the lever element is in the second position thereof, (F) the leading shoulder of the catch tooth being located to slidingly abut the shoulder of said lock unit to move the lever element toward the second orientation thereof as said lock unit is moved into a position to releasably lock said coin holder unit to said outer shell unit from a position in which said coin holder unit is unlocked from said outer shell unit, and (G) the catch tooth being located in the catch groove when the lever element is in the first orientation thereof and said lock element is engaged, the catch tooth being spaced apart from the catch groove when the lever element is in the second orientation thereof; f) a spring element located inside the hollow cylindrical body element of said outer shell unit and including a first end in abutting contact with the inner surface of the hollow body element of said outer shell unit adjacent to the spring seat element on the hollow body element of said outer shell unit and a second end which is in abutting contact with the first surface of said plunger in a use condition of said spring element, said spring element biasing said plunger towards the second position of said plunger; and g) said coin holder unit being sized and adapted to, in use, slidingly contain a plurality of coins with one of the plurality of coins being in abutting contact with the second surface of said plunger and at least one coin of said plurality of coins being located adjacent to the coin-dispensing slot defined through the side wall of the base portion of said coin holder unit, the coin-dispensing slot being sized and adapted to have the at least one coin slide through the coin-dispensing slot along the second edge of the coin-dispensing slot into a coin-accepting slot of a coin-operated slot machine under the influence of the bias of said spring element when the handle is moved into the coin-dispensing position and the plunger abuts the one coin to move the one coin through the coin-dispensing slot when the handle is moved into the coin-dispensing position.