Abstract:
A method and apparatus for filling a coin magazine ( 30, 120, 170 ) has a support ( 20, 112, 173 ) for supporting the magazine, a coin feeder ( 40, 115, 173 ) for receiving batches of coins and feeding coins to a coin filling location, the coin magazine having a first channel ( 33, 126, 171 ) positioned at a coin filling location, a chute ( 50, 117, 148 ) for guiding the coins from an exit of the coin feeder to the coin filling location, a guard ( 60, 117, 147 ) positioned next to the coin filling location for preventing coins from over-shooting the coin filling location, and wherein the coin magazine is movable on the support between the second position for receiving coins in the first channel ( 33, 126, 171 ) and a third position for receiving coins in a second channel ( 33, 126, 171 ). Other embodiments are disclosed for straight line coin magazines, for lifting the coin feeding assembly to load and unload a magazine and for moving coins with a scalloped coin feeding mechanism.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The benefit of priority based on U.S. Provisional Appl. No. 60/549,717 filed Mar. 3, 2004 is claimed herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The invention relates to coin dispensers, and in particular to coin dispensers of the type for dispensing change. Such coin change dispensers are found, for example, at cashier checkout locations and ticket booths and many other places.  
       BACKGROUND ART  
       [0003]     Perhaps the best known type of coin change dispenser has a vertical configuration in which a plurality of upstanding coin holding tubes are aligned in a row. Examples of such coin change dispensers are shown, for example, in Walton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,833 and Duplessy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,709.  
         [0004]     Coin change dispensers having a circular or cylindrical coin magazine have been recently patented in Adams et, U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,551, issued Feb. 3, 2004, and Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,602 issued Apr. 1, 2003. This cylindrical coin magazine may provide up to thirteen or more channels for holding stacks of coins. The coin magazine can be installed and removed and carried to a different location for filling or emptying. One feature of the coin magazine is that the cylindrical coin channels have an open side for ejecting the coins. During filling operations, it is necessary that measures be taken so that coins enter the coin channels but do not fall out of the open sides.  
         [0005]     The filling of such a coin magazine by hand may take from fifteen to twenty minutes when loading loose coins.  
         [0006]     There is a need for an apparatus for more quickly and easily filling the coin magazines, as described above, with coins of the various denominations, as well as filling straight line magazines of the prior art. The apparatus should be compact, inexpensive and portable.  
         [0007]     The apparatus should also allow a magazine to be easily inserted when empty and easily removed after it has been filled with coins.  
         [0008]     It would also be advantageous to have some way of moving the magazine to bring different channels to a coin filling location. It is also necessary to fill multiple channels with the same denomination in some instances, and with different denominations in some instances.  
         [0009]     It would be further desirable to provide some way of introducing a batch of coins into a feeder in the device, and after filling of coins into the coin magazine, removing any excess coins from the feeder.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The invention provides a method and an apparatus for receiving batches of coins of respective denominations and feeding them to a coin filling location in which the coin channels are successively positioned for the respective denominations until the channels of the coin magazine are full or nearly full.  
         [0011]     The invention provides a device for filling a coin magazine in five minutes or less instead of the twenty minutes necessary for a manual operation. The coin filling apparatus can hold enough coins from each denomination to fill an entire channel and possibly multiple channels with that denomination. The apparatus processes each denomination individually, but may be used to fill more than one coin channel with a particular denomination.  
         [0012]     As one example, the method of the invention contemplates placing a coin magazine on a support; moving the coin magazine from a first position to a second position for receiving coins in the coin magazine, the coin magazine having one channel positioned at a coin filling location when the coin magazine is in the second position; placing a first batch of coins of a first denomination on a coin feeder positioned above the coin magazine in the second position; feeding individual coins towards an exit, the exit communicating with the one channel of the coin magazine positioned at the coin filling location; controlling a direction of a flow of coins as the coins leave the exit so that the coins are directed into the first channel positioned at the coin filling location; and moving a second channel of the magazine into the coin filling location.  
         [0013]     The apparatus of the invention comprises a support for supporting a coin magazine as the coin magazine is moved from a first position for inserting the coin magazine into the apparatus to a second position for receiving coins in the coin magazine, the coin magazine having a first channel positioned at a coin filling location when the coin magazine is in the second position; a feeder positioned above the coin filling location for receiving a batch of coins of one denomination and for feeding coins towards an exit; a guard positioned at the exit for preventing coins from overshooting the coin filling location; and wherein the coin magazine is movable on the support between the second position for receiving coins in the first channel and a third position for receiving coins in a second channel.  
         [0014]     One object of the invention is to provide a coin filling apparatus in which a coin magazine is easily loaded, filled with coins and removed for transport to a coin dispenser where it will be used.  
         [0015]     Another object of the invention is to obviate the use of a cover, which could be slipped over the coin magazine during filling operations to assist holding the coins in their respective channels.  
         [0016]     Another object of the invention is to provide a minimum number of parts in a coin filling apparatus, thereby reducing costs of the apparatus. In this regard, only one motor is used for a feeder and motorized power is possible but is not necessary to insert a magazine into the machine or to move the magazine during filling operations.  
         [0017]     One advantage of the invention is that it is easily adaptable to different national coin sets and to different change capacities, such as $0.99 (US) or 19.90 Mexican pesos, as examples. One filling apparatus could be used with different magazines, including magazines with coins from different countries.  
         [0018]     The coin magazine filling apparatus of the invention can be used in many applications. The coin magazine filling apparatus of the invention is compact, is inexpensive to manufacture and is portable.  
         [0019]     Other objects and advantages of the invention, besides those discussed above, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the description of the preferred embodiments which follow. 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  
       [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an apparatus of the present invention with a coin magazine placed into the apparatus;  
         [0021]      FIGS. 2 and 3  are additional perspective views of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  without a coin magazine;  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a coin magazine to be filled with coins with the apparatus of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is top plan view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 5   a  is a detail sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line  5   a - 5   a  in  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6  is a side view in elevation of the apparatus of  FIG. 5 ;  
         [0026]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the apparatus of  FIGS. 1-3 ;  
         [0027]      FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of a hub sub-assembly shown in  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0028]      FIGS. 9 and 10  are top plan views of a coin magazine of  FIGS. 1 and 4  with a detail view of a guard shown in  FIG. 7  in two respective operational positions;  
         [0029]      FIG. 11  is a front perspective view of a coin filling apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0030]      FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view of a coin filling apparatus of  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0031]      FIG. 13  is a top plan view the coin filling apparatus of  FIG. 11 ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a coin filling apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention;  
         [0033]      FIG. 15  is a top plan view of the coin filling apparatus of  FIG. 14 ;  
         [0034]      FIG. 16  is a second perspective view of a coin filling apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention in an open position;  
         [0035]      FIG. 17  is a view of the coin filling apparatus of  FIG. 15  with the coin magazine removed;  
         [0036]      FIG. 18  shows the third embodiment being used to fill a straight line magazine;  
         [0037]      FIG. 19  is a detail perspective view of a portion of the coin filling apparatus of  FIGS. 14-18  handling smaller coins;  
         [0038]      FIG. 20  is a detail perspective view of a portion of the coin filling apparatus of  FIGS. 14-18  handling larger coins;  
         [0039]      FIG. 21  illustrates examples of two types of coin magazines which can be filled using the present invention; and  
         [0040]      FIG. 22  illustrates a variation in the coin feeding device used in the embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0041]      FIGS. 1-3  show a preferred embodiment of the present invention for a filling apparatus  10  for filling a coin magazine  30  to more fully described below. The filling apparatus includes a base  12 , and a metal frame  11  mounted on the base  12  to support a coin feeder assembly  40 . A deep-dish coin input tray  15  is seen in more detail in  FIG. 7 . The tray  15  is scoop-shaped molded part of synthetic material with a top opening  15   f  for receiving coins, a lip  15   d  for lifting the tray  15 , and two pivot arms  15   a  with pivot openings  15   b  and integrally formed cylindrical bearing surfaces  15   c.  A stop  15   e  is formed on a front side to abut a coin feeder assembly  40 . The tray  15  is pivotally mounted on two posts  16  on the coin feeder assembly  40 , to be lifted for pouring a batch of coins onto a surface  41  of a disc  42  in the coin feeder assembly  40  through an entry  13  ( FIGS. 1 and 5 ).  
         [0042]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the frame  11  provides a cavity  18  for receiving the magazine  30 . Referring briefly to  FIG. 7 , the frame  11  includes a top plate  11   a  for supporting the coin feeder assembly and four legs  11   b - 11   e  defining the cavity  18 . Returning to  FIG. 2 , to provide for easy insertion of the magazine a hub assembly  20  with a rotatable hub  21  and a hub base  22  are arranged to move in a recess  18  in the base  12  as the hub assembly  20  is pivoted around a pivot arm  24  and pivot point  24 a. The hub assembly  20  moves between a first position in which the magazine is placed on the rotatable hub  21  and a second position where the hub assembly  20  and the magazine  30  are in a coin filling position which is seen in  FIG. 1 . The hub assembly  20  also has a stop arm  23  for abutting a portion of the base  12  when the hub assembly  20  reaches the second position.  
         [0043]     As seen further in  FIG. 8 , the hub  21  includes a flange  21   a  and a boss portion  21   b.  The hub base  22  is formed with a cam projection  22   c  for urging a guard assembly  60  away from a closed position to a non-hindering position when inserting a magazine  30  into the cavity  18 . The hub base  22  includes a recess with a retainer  22   b  for retaining a bearing assembly  25  on which the hub  21  rotates. The hub base  22  also has a small radial slot  27  for receiving a detent  26  for location in a corresponding part of the magazine  30  to orient its position on the hub assembly  20 . The hub base  22  rolls on rollers  28  in the manner of a pivotable magazine dolly. It also has an arcuate slot  22   a  for receiving a plug  29  that fits into the slot  38   a  in each coin channel  33  when the channel  33  is brought to the coin filling position. The plug  29  is supported on an arcuate arm  29   a  which is fastened to the hub base  22  as shown by the corresponding holes in the arm  29   a  and base  22 .  
         [0044]     The coin magazine assembly  30  has the features of the magazine assembly described in Adams et, U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,551, issued Feb. 3, 2004, the relevant description being incorporated herein by reference. As seen best in  FIG. 4 , the coin magazine assembly  30  includes a ring-shaped coin magazine member  31  and a ring-shaped magazine base member  32 , which are integrally molded components made of a high durability plastic material or metal. The coin magazine assembly  30  has a central opening ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ) formed by openings  31   a,    32   b  in the magazine  31  and base  32  for receiving the hub  21  seen in  FIG. 2 . The coin magazine member  31  is generally cylindrical in shape and forms longitudinally extending coin-holding channels  33  around its periphery, with coin exit openings  34  (see  FIG. 4 ), which are one coin thickness above the floor  38  of the coin channels  33 . The number of channels  33  can vary from seven to thirteen, with eleven being seen in this example.  
         [0045]     Magazine members  31  can be provided for a variety of different mixes of coins. For example, one magazine member  31  could have coin channels with different sizes (diameters) to hold a mix of coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, dollar coins), while another magazine member  31  could have coin channels with a different mix of diameters based on the business in which the coin dispenser is used. Different coin magazines would also be used for coin sets of countries outside the United States.  
         [0046]     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the magazine base member  32  forms partial floors  38  for each channel  33 . When assembled with the cylindrical magazine  31 , the base member  32  forms an arcuate slot  38   a  for each channel  33  for receiving a pin of a coin ejector (not shown) when installed in a coin change dispenser. The slots  38   a  are formed along a circular path followed by the stacks of coins as the magazine assembly  30  is rotated. As seen in  FIG. 9 , when inserted on the hub assembly  20 , the plug  29  fits into the slot  38   a  in each coin channel  33  when it is oriented in the coin filling position. This helps retain the first coin to be received in the bottom of the channel  33 .  
         [0047]     Referring again to  FIG. 4 , each channel  33  of the magazine member  31  has a sidewall  35  seen in a C-shape in cross section with a substantially vertical opening  36  in the channel sidewall  35  facing to the outside of the magazine  31 . The diameter of each channel  33  varies according to the denomination of coins it will hold. Each channel  33  is formed such that the channel openings  36  face in a rearward-looking direction in relation to the counterclockwise direction of rotation of the magazine  31 .  
         [0048]     The coin magazine  31  is formed with channels  33  having a taper of not greater than 0.2 degrees, having a plurality of circumferentially spaced, zero-taper ribs  37  running up inner sidewall surfaces of the channels  33  for securely holding the coins, with the ribs  37  terminating a spaced distance from a top opening of the channels  33  to provide a slightly angled funnel to allow for easier loading of coins. Normally, in molding a part such as the magazine  31 , the walls of the channels  33  would be provided with some taper for molding purposes. That has been minimized in this construction.  
         [0049]     The coin feeder assembly  40  ( FIGS. 1-3 ,  5  and  6 ) receives a batch of coins from the coin input tray  15  on a urethane surface  41  of a disc  42  (seen in elevation in  FIG. 6 ) The disc  42  is rotated by a motor  43  ( FIGS. 6 and 7 ). Power for the motor is provided through an AC power supply adapter (not shown) or from a battery  70  ( FIGS. 1-3 ) A switch  71  ( FIGS. 2-3 ) is mounted on the coin feeder assembly  40  with on and off positions for energizing and de-energizing the motor  43 . The switch  71  can also be a three-way switch with forward, off, and reverse positions for energizing the motor in opposite rotational directions.  
         [0050]     When the motor is operating in a forward direction, the disc  42  is rotated in a clockwise direction to feed coins  17  in single file to a coin exit  48 . An elevated sidewall  44   a,    44   b,  which is scoop-shaped in  FIG. 1 , but is preferably straight as shown in  FIGS. 2, 3  and  5 , is provided along the feed path  45  ( FIG. 5 ) to contain excess coins until they can be arranged in single file (queued). A coin knocker  46  (seen in sectional elevation in  FIG. 5   a ) is positioned along the arcuate feed path  45  to knock off coins on top of the bottom layer of coins and push them to the middle for another cycle through the coin feeder  40 . A raised disc hub  42   a  in the center of disc  42  directs coins back onto the surface  41 . A coin point  47  is provided with a first reference edge  47   a  to guide the single layer, single file of coins to a coin exit  48  in a sidewall around the feeder. A second reference edge  47   b  guides coins back to the tray  15  when rotation of the disc  42  is reversed. A coin chute  50  is provided at the exit  48  and its path is on an arc from a radius of the coin feeder disc  42  to provide a reference edge  51  for coins passing through the chute  50 . The chute  50  opens to a coin filling location  39 , where a coin channel  33  is positioned to receive coins as they leave the chute  50 .  
         [0051]     As seen in  FIG. 7 , the chute  50  has a slidable extension  52  in its retracted position. When the extension  52  is in its extended position, and the motor  43  is energized in a forward feeding direction, coins  17  will be fed over the coin filling location  39  (as shown in phantom in  FIG. 5 ) to a receptacle to remove excess coins of one denomination. The chute  50  has flanges for mounting the chute  50  on a portion of a disc feeder base  54 .  
         [0052]     As seen in  FIG. 6 , the coin feeding disc  42  is oriented at an acute angle  49  of approximately fifteen degrees from horizontal along an axis from a back of the coin feeder to the coin exit  48  which is at a front of the coin feeder  40 .  
         [0053]     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 7 ,  9  and  10 , the filling apparatus  10  also includes a guard assembly  60  having a pivotable support flap  61  pivotably mounted by pin(s)  62  for pivoting around a vertical axis. The flap  61  is biased by a torsion return spring  63  so that it is pressed against the outside of the magazine  31  as it is rotated. A guard flap  65  is hinged on hinge pins  64  to a free edge of the support flap  61  and extends back across a face of the support flap  61 . The guard flap  65  has an irregular and varying curve in profile, as seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , so as to be able to close channels  33  of both large and small diameter and of intermediate diameters. The guard flap  65  is also spring-biased by a torsion spring  67 , as seen in  FIG. 7 , to maintain pressure against the outside of the magazine  31  while yielding to rotational movements of the magazine  31 .  
         [0054]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , to load a magazine  31  with coins the magazine is first placed on the hub assembly  20  in its a position outside the cavity  18  with the plug  29  in position in one channel. The coin guard assembly  60  is in a closed position. The magazine  30  is then moved into cavity  18  by pivoting the hub assembly  20 , with the cam projection  22   c  urging the guard assembly  60  to a non-hindering position to let the magazine  30  and the hub assembly  20  pass by. The channel with the plug will be brought to the coin filling position  39 . The coin guard assembly  60  is then returned to a closed position against the magazine  30  ( FIG. 9 ) by the force of the return springs. The motor  43  is started by operating the switch  71  and a first batch of coins residing in the coin input tray  15 , is poured onto the coin feeder surface  41 . From there the coins are arranged in a single layer with the help of the coin knocker  46  ( FIG. 5 ) and are fed single file to the coin exit  48 , where they are guided by the reference edge  51  to the coin filling location  39 . There they enter the coin channel  33  and are prevented from overshoot by the coin guard assembly  60  ( FIG. 1 ). When the channel  33  has been filled, the feeder motor  43  is switched off and the magazine  30  is rotated one channel position by hand or by pressing a button (not shown) on the hub assembly  20  to actuate a small motor (not shown) in the hub assembly  20 . As seen in  FIGS. 9 and 10  ( FIG. 10  being earlier in sequence of rotation than  FIG. 9 ), the coin guard  65  rides along the outside of the cylinder  31  to close off the next channel  33  as it comes to the coin filling position  39 . The feeder motor  43  is switched on in a forward direction to continue feeding the same denomination into the next channel  33 .  
         [0055]     In the event that a second denomination is to be loaded, the switch  71  is moved to a reverse position, which reverses the direction of rotation of the feeding disc  42 . The coins on the disc  42  are returned to the coin input tray  15 , with the aid of the reference edge  47   b  seen in  FIG. 5 . The tray  15  can be emptied or swapped for another receptacle having a second denomination with coins of a different diameter than the first denomination. The magazine  30  is rotated one channel position and the feeder motor  43  is switched on in the forward direction for feeding the second denomination into the channel in the coin filling position. In this manner, the magazine  30  can be filled with various denominations, some of which occupy more than one coin channel  33 .  
         [0056]     As an alternative for unloading excess coins of the first denomination, the chute extension  52  can be extended (as shown in phantom in  FIG. 5 ), and the feed motor  43  could be energized in a forward direction to discharge excess coins over the coin filling location  39  into a collection receptacle.  
         [0057]     The magazine  30  is then removed by first pivoting open the coin guard assembly  60  and then pivoting the hub assembly  20  to its position outside the cavity  18  which is below the coin feeder assembly  40 . The coin magazine  30 , which is now filled with coins can be lifted off the hub assembly  20  and transported with the aid of a carrying handle (not shown).  
         [0058]     The filling of a coin magazine by hand may take from fifteen to twenty minutes when filling with loose coins. The invention provides a device for filling a coin magazine in approximately five minutes instead of the twenty minutes necessary for a manual operation. The device is portable and will handle magazines of differing configurations, even straight-line instead of circular configurations.  
         [0059]     Further examples of a coin magazine filling apparatus  110 ,  140  according to the present invention are illustrated in  FIGS. 11-23 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , a cylindrical coin magazine  120  is disposed in the apparatus  110  for filling with coins. The coin magazine  120  is described in detail in Adams et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,551, issued Feb. 3, 2004 and shown in  FIG. 4 . The magazine  120  is formed with a plurality of upstanding coin channels  126 , in this example, numbering twelve. As seen in  FIG. 11-13 , the coin channels  112  are empty, however, in use, these channels  126  would hold stacks of coins, each channel  126  being dedicated to a corresponding denomination, as illustrated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . It may be also be advantageous to have more than one stack of coins for certain denominations, such as pennies/ for example, in making up $0.99 change for one U.S. dollar.  
         [0060]     As seen best in  FIG. 11-13 , the coin magazine assembly  120  includes a cylindrical coin magazine member  121  and a ring-shaped magazine base member  122 , which are integrally molded components made of a high durability plastic material or metal. The coin magazine member  121  is generally cylindrical in shape and forms a plurality of longitudinally extending coin-holding channels  126  around its periphery, with coin channel openings  123  ( FIG. 13 ) through its outer surface. As seen best in  FIG. 13 , each channel  126  has a sidewall seen in a C-shape in cross section with an opening  123  in the channel sidewall facing to the outside of the magazine assembly  120 . The diameter of each channel  126  varies according to the denomination of coins it will hold.  
         [0061]     Referring to  FIG. 13 , magazine base member  122  forms partial floors  124  for each channel  126 . When assembled with the cylindrical magazine  121 , this member  122  forms an arcuate slot  125  for each channel  126  for receiving a pin of a coin ejector (not shown). The slots  125  are formed along a circular path followed by the stacks of coins as the magazine assembly  120  is rotated.  
         [0062]     As seen in  FIG. 11 , the filling apparatus  110  has a base  111  with an inclined ramp  112  of approximately eighteen degrees from horizontal. The coin magazine  120  is disposed in the apparatus on the ramp  112  so as to be tilted at an angle of about eighteen degrees from vertical. This aids the feeding of coins into the coin channels  126 . The apparatus also has side walls  113  rising from the base  111  and a top cover  114  that pivots upward from the side walls  113  to open the apparatus  110  when inserting or removing coin magazines  120 .  
         [0063]     Positioned on the top cover  14  is a coin feeding mechanism  115  which receives a batch of coins of a particular denomination and arranges them into a single file for feeding to a diverter chute  117  that directs the coins into a top end of a channel  126  positioned just below the chute  117 .  
         [0064]     A feed disc  130  is positioned from rear to front at an angle of about fifteen degrees from horizontal to aid the shedding of coins and ensuring that one layer of coins is fed upwardly towards the entrance to the chute  117 .  
         [0065]     The coin feeding mechanism  115  is powered in this example by a hand crank  116 . Referring next, to  FIG. 12 , the crank has a pulley  118  which receives one end of a belt (not shown) which has an opposite disposed around a pulley  119  on a shaft (not shown) attached to the disc  130  for rotating the disc  130  when the crank is operated. As seen in  FIG. 13 , there is also a central hub  132  on the disc  130  for assisting in directing the coins toward a coin point  131 .  
         [0066]     Further details of the apparatus  140  are illustrated in  FIGS. 14-17 . The apparatus  140  includes a base  141 , upright frame members  142  rising from the base and a pivotable upper frame structure  143 , which supports a coin feeding mechanism  145 . A coin magazine  121 ,  122  with stacks of coins  127  is positioned in a cavity in the apparatus formed into the base  141 , between the upright members  142  and beneath the pivotable upper frame structure  143 . In practice, a ramp would be provided, as shown in  FIG. 11 , so that the coin magazine  121 ,  122  is tilted at an angle to receive coins.  
         [0067]     The coin feeding mechanism  145  includes a rotatable disc  150  with a coin track portion  153  that extends around the disc  150  between a side wall  154  and a central hub  152 . As seen in  FIG. 15 , there is a coin bumper  155  along the inside of the side wall  154  leading towards a coin point member  151  which further leads to a coin exit  156 . The coin feeding mechanism  145  will arrange the coins  180  in  FIG. 19  and  181  in  FIG. 20  in single file before they reach the exit  156 . The bumper  155  in  FIG. 19  and  157  in  FIG. 20  will tend to bump off coins that become stacked on the bottom layer of coins. These coins will be moved across the hub  152  to start again on the coin track portion  153 . The hub  152  also forms an inside edge for coins on the bottom layer which next encounter the coin point member before exiting the disc through exit  156 .  
         [0068]     As seen in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the disc  150  can be powered through a hand crank  166  or through a motor  160 . The motor  160  has a shaft  161  which would be connected through a drive belt (not shown) to a shaft on the disc  150 . Electric power would be supplied to the motor  160  through leads  162 . The unit could be provided with a battery as a source of power.  
         [0069]      FIG. 16  shows how the coin feeding mechanism  145  can be tilted upward by pivoting the upper frame structure  143  for removal or insertion of a coin magazine  120 .  FIG. 17  shows an empty coin filling apparatus  140  in which the coin feeding mechanism is pivotably mounted for the coin feeder is pivoting upward to allow easy clearance of the coin magazine as it is moved to the coin filling position.  
         [0070]      FIG. 18  shows the coin filling apparatus of  FIGS. 14-17  applied to a straight line coin magazine. A linear feed mechanism  173  of a type generally known in the art can be provided for sliding the magazine by the coin exit chute  147 ,  148  to fill succeeding coin channels  171 .  
         [0071]     As seen in  FIG. 21 , a, cover  219  is available for covering the magazine  120  to assist the loading of coins therein or for transport. One object of the present invention is to obviate the need of such a cover  129  when filling the magazines  120  with coins. Once the coins are loaded, it is possible to place the cover  129  over the magazine and transport it by gripping a handle  128  seen in  FIG. 16 . It is also typical to use a cover  172  with the inline coin magazine  170 , but this would not be necessary when loading coins with the filling apparatus of the present invention.  
         [0072]      FIG. 22  shows an alternative to the feeding mechanism  145  in which a plate  190  with four scallop cut-out portions  191  would be used to pick up coins dumped into the hopper defined by the side wall  154  and convey them one at a time to the coin exit  156 . The scallop cut-out portions  191  can be sized to pick up multiple coins or only one coin each. The pickup plate  191  would be mounted on a drive hub comparable to hub  152 , to be driven by the mechanical power output shaft.  
         [0073]     The invention also contemplates a visual alignment device for signaling or showing the user that a coin channel is properly aligned with the coin exit  156 .  
         [0074]     This has been a description of a preferred embodiment and several alternative embodiments of the invention the description has been provided by way of example an illustration and not by way of limitation, except as defined by the scope of the following claims.