Abstract:
A self-service change redemption machine ( 10 ) has an intake area ( 18 ) for receiving batches of mixed coinage and conveying the coins to a coin sorter ( 22 ) for sorting, counting and directing coins into a plurality of coin chutes ( 26 ). From there, the coins are routed to coin receptacles such as bags ( 60 ). Multiple bags are provided for certain denominations. To fill multiple bags for a given denomination, repositionable diverter mechanisms ( 30 ) are provided between the chutes ( 26 ) and pluralities of bags for the respective denominations. The bags are held by bag holders ( 34 ) which extend downward from a substantially rigid one-piece chassis ( 40 ), which also supports the diverter mechanisms ( 30 ). The machine ( 10 ) has buttons ( 80 ) responsive to inputs from a user to turn on the machine, to process coins that are input through the intake area ( 18 ) and to issue the voucher or other form of credit. Instructions for using the machine ( 10 ) and other information are displayed on a screen display ( 15 ).

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to self-service cash redemption machines and methods in which a substantial batch of unsorted coinage is fed in bulk into a hopper and is processed for collection while providing the user with a voucher or a form of credit, on a card, for example.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART  
       [0002]     The invention relates to a system and to a method in which a substantial number of unsorted coins (greater than the amounts spent in vending machines for purchasing items) are deposited in the machine. The coins are sorted and counted to determine a total value. The user is issued a voucher for an amount related to the total value.  
         [0003]     This offers a service to the consumer and provides a commission to the sponsoring organization. Since the introduction of state and local sales taxes, goods have been priced in such a way that people tend to accumulate a great deal of coinage. People tend to store this coinage in their homes. There have been few receivers of large amounts of coin change from consumers, other than banks, and people do not prefer to carry significant amounts of change in their pockets or purses. In recent years, certain voucher dispensing machines have been seen in grocery stores, which provide a voucher to the consumer for buying groceries or other items at the store or for redemption for cash. Some amount of the transaction is retained as a commission, usually less than 10%. Examples of machines for carrying out these transactions are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,736,251, 6,494,776, 6,484,863 and earlier related patents cited therein.  
         [0004]     Various other types of machines for both receiving coins and providing the consumer with a credit have been known, including ATM machines and large cash handling machines for gaming operations. ATM machines have generally been limited to dispensing small amounts of change for a dollar, cash withdrawals in the form of bills, or pre-rolled rolls of coin. The large cash handling machines for gaming establishments sort the change into bins, which must then be emptied and further processed before being placed in a dispenser or distributed to customers through cashiers.  
         [0005]     The prior art shows various distribution systems for routing coins. U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,557 shows a system with a first manifold, exit chutes, and rotating coin distributors for distributing coins to manifolds which feed coins to coin receptacles. Magee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,545, shows a system for separating pennies from other denominations and sending the pennies and non-pennies to two respective chambers, because it is said that pennies constitute up to seventy-five percent of the coins deposited in self-service machines.  
         [0006]     There remains a need for a self-service coin recycling machine, which is easy for an average user to operate, and which reliably sorts and counts the coinage deposited. The machine should be easy and convenient to service, to maintain and to remove the accumulated coinage. The machine should be capable of dispensing a receipt, a voucher or a form of credit.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The invention relates to a method and a machine for receiving a batch of unsorted coinage from a user, for sorting coins into a plurality of denominations and for dispensing a receipt, a voucher or a form of credit to the user, in which coins of at least one denomination are conveyed from the sorter through a first chute; and in which a coin diverter mechanism located at an exit of the first chute is repositioned from a first position to at least two other positions in alignment with respective entrances for at least two other coin receptacles for that denomination.  
         [0008]     In contrast to the prior art, the diverters are repositioned to align with each of the coin receptacles, and therefore, the use of additional manifolds for routing the coins is unnecessary.  
         [0009]     The invention also provides for selectable unique coin distributions based on the volume of different denominations received in self-service machines. In one such distribution, there are three receptacles for U.S. pennies, three for U.S. quarters, two for U.S. nickels and two for U.S. dimes. In a method of the present invention, the diverter mechanisms can be reconfigured or adjusted to distribute coins to a plurality of from one to four receptacles depending on the coin distribution plan.  
         [0010]     The diverter mechanisms are supported on a common rigid support that aids alignment with the various other parts from which coins are received and then distributed. The support is slidable out of the machine for servicing the parts.  
         [0011]     The machine provides advantageous configurations of the coin collection receptacles by arranging them in a 2×6 matrix accessible through a side door in a two-deep configuration. A 2×5 or 2×4 matrix would also be particularly advantageous.  
         [0012]     Other objects and advantages of the invention, besides those described above, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the description of the preferred embodiments which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which illustrate examples of the invention. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a front view in elevation of a first embodiment of a self-service cash redemption machine according to the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is a right side view in elevation of the machine of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the machine of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with a side door removed for a better view of the interior;  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is a frontal perspective view of the machine of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with front panels removed for viewing an interior of the machine;  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is a detail perspective view of a sorting subassembly of the machine of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of the subassembly of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective detail of portions of the subassembly seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a second top perspective detail of portions of the subassembly seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is a frontal detail view of portions of the subassembly seen in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ;  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  is a detail view of one of the diverter subassemblies seen in  FIGS. 5-9 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  is top detail view of the subassembly of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0024]      FIGS. 12   a  and  12   b  are functional diagrams of the operation of the diverter mechanisms in  FIGS. 5-10 ; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  is a physical layout diagram showing the ability to configure the diverter mechanisms seen in  FIGS. 5-10 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 14  is an electrical block diagram of the electronic controls for the machine of  FIGS. 1-12 ; and  
         [0027]      FIG. 15  is a flow chart of the operation of the machine of  FIGS. 1-12 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]      FIG. 1  shows a self-service cash redemption machine  10  in accordance with the present invention. The machine is housed in an cabinet enclosure  11  having a front door panel  12  secured by a key lock  13 . The cabinet is substantially opaque, however, one or two inconspicuous windows may be provided for viewing the internal mechanisms of the machine for servicing purposes. The upper panel  12  has an opening  14  for viewing a visual display screen  15 . Below this screen  15  are two buttons  80 , identified as “A” and “B”, for allowing the user to enter selections of items on the screen  15 . To the right of the display is an area for an advertising display  16  and below that is a printout slot  17  for receiving a receipt or other printable matter that exits a printer installed inside the enclosure  11 . Just below the printer output slot  17  is a coin intake area with a tray  18  that can be lifted to allow coins to slide into the machine  10 .  
         [0029]     The coin intake tray  18  can receive a batch of unsorted coins of mixed denomination and is lifted to feed them into the machine through an opening  18   a  ( FIG. 3 ) to a coin processing assembly  21  ( FIG. 4 ) inside the machine  10 . This batch of coins is greater in amount than the coins typically inserted into a vending machine, for example, to purchase a product. The batch of coins can be supplemented as the machine is operating so that it can process anywhere from a few dollars to perhaps two hundred dollars in U.S. coinage.  
         [0030]     As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , there are side access doors  19  on opposite sides (one side being shown in the drawings), which can be opened to install and remove coin receptacles, which in this instance are coin bags that would be attached to coin bag holders. The bags are kept separate by dividers  61  rising from a base plate  62  in the bottom of the cabinet enclosure  11 . The machine provides an advantageous configuration of the coin collection receptacles by arranging them in a 2×6 matrix accessible through the side door  19  in a two-deep configuration, as will be apparent from the detailed description of the figures which follow. Other advantageous configurations such as 2×4 or 2×5 might also be used.  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  shows the machine with the front panels  12  and  13  removed. The printer  20  is now visible, along with a coin processing assembly  21  that is supported and an elongated one-piece cast member  40  that can slide forward and out of the enclosure for servicing other components in the machine  10 .  
         [0032]     The printer  20  operates under the control of a personal computer (PC)  50 , which is shown as a box in  FIG. 4 . The personal computer  50  also controls the display  15 . Also seen in an interior of the cabinet  11  is a service keyboard  52 , a controller  53  and a power supply  54 . The controller  53  is also connected to the I/O devices such as the count sensors on a sorting mechanism  22  and others devices to be described herein. The printer  20  can print out a voucher or receipt  90  as seen in  FIG. 3  representing the amount of coinage fed into the coin processing assembly  21  and counted by the controller  53  through sensing devices on the sorting mechanism  22  of the coin processing assembly  21 . The user can present this voucher or receipt  90  in payment for merchandise, or could, where permitted, redeem it for cash in the form of notes and a small amount of change less than one dollar. An output device for issuing a card with a pre-paid credit amount, like a phone card, could also be used in place of the printer.  
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows the details of the coin processing assembly  21  including a sorting mechanism  22  of same kind as is commercially available in the assignee&#39;s Mach® 6 line of dual disc coin sorters. As is well known in the art, the coins are deposited on a queueing disc and transferred to a sorting plate where they fall through slots sized for different denominations. For details of the construction and operation of dual disc sorters, the disclosures in Adams et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,899 and 5,525,104 and Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,602, issued Nov. 30, 1999, and Zwieg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,956, issued Nov. 4, 2003, are incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the sorting mechanism  22  is inclined at an angle of from ten to fifteen degrees to assist in removal of spurious matter that may be introduced into the sorter with the batch of coins. The base  23  of the sorting mechanism  22  forms coin exit spouts  24  for each denomination and a plurality of upper elbow couplings  25  are connected to the respective spouts  24  to receive the respective denominations. The elbow couplings  25  are further connected to chutes  26 , one for each denomination. In addition, there is an offsort opening that is coupled through one of the coin exit spouts  24  to a chute  27  that returns offsorted coins (coins of another country for example) through the chute  27  to an opening  28  in front of the enclosure  11  ( FIG. 1 ). The offsort chute  27  is configured in a straight-line configuration in this embodiment, but could be constructed in other configurations that are not straight.  
         [0034]     In this example, the sorting mechanism  22  is configured to sort the U.S. set of coinage including pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars and U.S. dollar coins. It is also possible to sort U.S. dollar coins. And, it is also possible to configure the sorting mechanism  22  to sort euros or coins of other coin sets such as the coins of Canada.  
         [0035]     As seen in  FIG. 7 , the chutes  26  are further coupled through lower elbow couplings  29  to diverter mechanisms  30 . An individual diverter mechanism  30  is seen in  FIG. 10 . It has a downwardly sloped chute portion  31  that extends radially from a cylindrical entrance  32  to an exit spout  33 . The cylindrical entrance  32  is formed around a pivot axis  32   a  for the diverter mechanism  30 , while the cylindrical exit spout  33  is also situated about a central axis  33   a . This diverter exit spout  33  will be aligned with a circular entrance  42  for a coin receptacle  60  that is formed in a bottom of the chassis  40  as seen in  FIG. 11 . It is to be noted that a lip is formed around the entrance  42  but such a lip is not necessary and could be absent in other embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The entrances  32  and the exit spouts  33  of the diverter chutes  31  both clear respective parts of the machine located above and below them without contacting such parts.  
         [0036]     Below each receptacle entrance  42  is a bag spout assembly  34  for attaching a coin bag to receive coins. The twelve bag spout assemblies  34  are seen in  FIGS. 6, 7 ,  8  and  9 . These are described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,200, issued Dec. 21, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In each bag assembly  34 , as seen in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a bag spout  35  is pivoted in and out of a clip member  35   a , and when the spout  35  is pivoted inward it traps the top edge of a coin bag  60  to hold the coin bag in position around the bag spout  35 , as seen in  FIG. 3 , to receive a stream of coins.  
         [0037]     The diverter mechanism  30  includes a stepper motor  36  seen in  FIG. 10 . The diverter mechanisms  30  are mounted on the chassis  40  with the stepper motors  36  disposed in a central trench  41  in the chassis  20  as seen in  FIGS. 7, 8 ,  9  and  11 . The chassis  40  is a preferably a cast aluminum member that is substantially rigid to assist alignment of the parts conveying the coins.  
         [0038]     Referring again to  FIG. 10 , the diverter chute  31  is rotated through a shaft and gearing arrangement that is driven by the stepper motor  36 . A collar  37  rotates with the diverter chute  31  and the collar  37  has interrupter tabs  38  or markers that are sensed by a sensor  39  to sense eight possible positions for each diverter chute  31 . Each interrupter tab  38  is of a different width so that each has its own unique identity. The interrupter tabs  38  pass through a light beam of the sensor  39  so the leading and trailing edges can be detected. The number of stepper motor pulses between the leading and trailing edges determines the interrupter tab width. While processing coins, the coin diverter  30  is located in the center of one of the interrupter tabs and held in place by applying power to the stepper motor  36 . If at any time there is reason to believe the diverter  30  has moved because of service intervention the coin diverter  30  is powered until the correct interrupter tab  38  can be located. The controller  53  provides for pivoting the diverter over four possible coin entrances  42 , however, the diverter mechanisms  30 , except the one for pennies, are more usually repositioned among two or three coin entrances  42  in the examples given below. The coin diverter mechanism  30  is rigidly cantilevered from the shaft bearing assembly and can freely pivot without frictional resistance due design clearance at the coin entrance and distribution point of the diverter  38 .  
         [0039]     Two possible distribution arrangements are functionally illustrated in  FIGS. 12   a  and  12   b . In  FIG. 12   a , the coins are distributed to entrances  42  for three receptacles for pennies, three receptacles for quarters, two receptacles for nickels, and two receptacles for dimes. The diverter mechanisms  30   a ,  30   b  for pennies and quarters are repositioned from alignment with an entrance  42  for one receptacle to alignment with entrances  42  for two other receptacles under the control of the controller  50 . The diverter mechanisms  30   c ,  30   d  for nickels and dimes are repositioned from alignment with an entrance for one receptacle to alignment with an entrance  42  for one other receptacle under the control of the controller  50 . In this arrangement, four diverter mechanisms  30   a ,  30   b ,  30   c  and  30   d  are utilized. Half dollars and dollars are distributed to entrances  42  for one receptacle each and do not require diverter mechanisms  30 .  
         [0040]     In  FIG. 12   b , the coins are distributed to entrances  42  for four receptacles for pennies, entrances  42  for two receptacles for nickels, entrances  42  for two receptacles for dimes and entrances  42  for two receptacles for quarters. The diverter mechanism  30   a  for pennies is repositioned from alignment with one receptacle to alignment with each of three other receptacles under the control of the controller  53 . The diverter mechanisms  30   b ,  30   c ,  30   d  for quarters, nickels and dimes are repositioned from alignment with an entrance  42  for one receptacle to alignment with an entrance  42  for one other receptacle under the control of the controller  50 . As in the first example, half dollars and dollars are distributed to entrances  42  for one receptacle each and do not require diverter mechanisms  30 .  
         [0041]     As seen in  FIG. 13 , which is a diagram of the chassis, a variable number of diverter mechanisms, preferably four or five, can be mounted with their pivot points  45  as shown in  FIG. 13 . From there, the diverter mechanisms are pivoted and stopped at from one to four entrances  42  for coin receptacles  60 . Thus, many possible distributions of coins to the receptacles  60  are possible. To provide a configuration for the machine  10 , the diverter mechanisms  30  are positioned at a variable number of the five pivot points  45  shown in  FIG. 13  and parameters are input to the controller  53  to cause the stepper motors  36  to move through as much of the 360-degree circle of motion as is necessary to position the diverter exit spout  33  at the number of coin receptacle entrances  42  between one and four that are selected for each denomination. In  FIG. 13 , the distribution of various denominations corresponds to  FIG. 12   a.    
         [0042]     As seen in  FIG. 14 , the power supply  54  is connected to a specialized PC power adapter  55  to the personal computer (PC)  50 . The PC  50  is in turn connected to the printer  20 , to the visual display  15  and to certain machine I/O devices such as the pushbuttons  80  and certain lights  81  on the exterior of the cabinet. The service keyboard  52  is connected as an input device to the controller  53  which controls the sorter disc motor  58  and brake  59 . The controller  53  is a microcomputerized controller of a type disclosed in Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,602, issued Nov. 30, 1999, and Zwieg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,956, issued Nov. 4, 2003. It includes one or more microelectronic CPU&#39;s, a program memory, a data memory and a program that is executed by a main CPU for controlling the operations of the machine  10 . The controller  53  is also connected I/O interface circuitry to I/O devices  51  such as count sensors on the sorting mechanism  22 . The controller  53  also connects to interface modules  56   a ,  56   b  and  56   c  for interfacing the stepper motors  36  and the position sensors  39  for the stepper motors  36 . Preferably, either four or five stepper motors  36  are typically connected (interface module #3 being optional) using the interface modules  56   a ,  56   b  and  56   c , respectively.  
         [0043]     Referring to  FIG. 15 , the operation of the machine  10 , as controlled by controller  53 , will now be described. The machine  10  is first powered up as represented by start block  100 . After power up, some diagnostic checks are made as represented by decision block  101 . If the machine is not operating satisfactorily or is being serviced, the controller  53  will exit to some maintenance routines as represented by the “No” result from decision block  101  and by the process block  102 . If the machine is operating satisfactorily as represented by the “Yes” result from decision block  101 , then the controller  50  will cause some advertising and a “welcome” greeting to be displayed on visual display  15  as represented by I/O block  103 .  
         [0044]     The user starts an operating sequence by operating either one of the buttons “A” or “B” seen in  FIG. 1 . The sorting mechanism  22  is powered up by switching on a motor that drives the sorting mechanism  22  and a screen is displayed on the visual display  15  that allows the user to change the language of the screen dialogue as represented by decision block  104 . If a selection is not made, as represented by the “No” result from decision block  104 , the machine enters the “Run Mode” as represented by process block  106 . In making user selections greater than an “either-or” selection, the “A” button is the scroll button that moves from one selection to another, and the “B” button is depressed to actually make a selection. If a selection of a new language is made as represented by process block  105 , then the machine enters the “Run Mode” as represented by process block  106 . Once the language has been accepted, a screen display, represented by I/O block  107 , appears on the visual display  15  to inform the user that coins may be deposited and that the tray  18  should be lifted to feed coins into the machine. The user deposits coins in the intake tray  18  and feeds them to the sorter by tipping up the tray. The controller  53  makes a check as represented by decision block  108  to see if any error has been caused by the deposit. If an error has been caused, as represented by the “Yes” result from decision block  107 , the controller  53  proceeds to execute error recovery routines represented by process block  109 . If no error has been caused, as represented by the “No” result from decision block  107 , the controller  53  displays a screen on the visual display, as represented by I/O block  110 , with choices to enter more coins (button A) or to print a receipt for the displayed total (button B). If more coins are to be entered, button “A” is pressed as represented by the “Yes” result from decision block  111 , and the sequence returns to the run mode in block  106 . If no more coins are to be entered, but neither buttons “A” or “B” are operated the routine loops back to re-test for operation of buttons “A” or “B” in blocks  111  and  112 . If no more coins are to be entered and a voucher or receipt is to be printed, as represented by the “No” result from decision block  111 , and the “Yes” result from decision block  112 , then a display is shown on the visual display to ask the user to wait for the printing of receipt, as represented by I/O block  113 , process block  114  is executed for acceptance of the batch, and I/O block  115  is executed for printing the receipt and showing a screen display to advise the user to take the receipt.  
         [0045]     A decision block  116  is then executed to check for successful printing of the voucher or receipt as represented by decision block  116 . Assuming the printout was successful, as represented by the “Yes” result from decision block  116 , the operation returns through return block  117  to block  103  where the advertising and welcome greeting are displayed. If the printout operation is unsuccessful, as represented by the “No” result from decision block  116 , the operation proceeds to the error recovery routines represented by block  109 .  
         [0046]     From this description, it should now be apparent how the invention provides a self-service coin recycling machine, which is easy for an average user to operate, and which reliably sorts and counts the coinage deposited. The machine is easy and convenient to service, maintain and to remove the accumulated coinage. The machine is capable of dispensing a voucher, or another form of credit to the customer.  
         [0047]     It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other modifications might be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which are defined by the following claims.