A coin handling assembly includes a coin vault loaded completely within an appliance cabinet. The coin vault is positioned to receive coins from the coin drop and a locking member is movable from a closed position keeping coins within the coin vault to an open position permitting the coins to drop by gravity to the outside of the cabinet walls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a coin handling assembly and a method for operating that assembly.  
           [0002]    Present coin operated laundry equipment requires the use of a special coin box which creates several problems. FIG. 5 illustrates a typical prior art coin box. The coin box is enclosed within a cabinet having a front wall  20 . A prior art drawer compartment  38  receives a coin drawer  40  which is provided with a key lock  42  having a lock tab  44  adapted to engage a latch  46 . The drawer  40  includes a drawer front wall  48 , and the key lock  42  is accessible from that front wall  48 .  
           [0003]    Drawer  40  must be housed in a coin drawer compartment  38  which must be designed to exact specifications to accommodate the limited selection of available coin boxes or drawers. This inflexibility complicates the design of other appliance parts.  
           [0004]    Present prior art devices also have substantial cost due to the fact that there must be both a coin drawer receptacle  38  and a coin drawer  40  which fit one another very closely.  
           [0005]    Another disadvantage of present devices is that the coin boxes are vulnerable to tampering and theft and are usually the component most vandalized during such attempts. Coin drawer  40  can be pried loose and opened with a minimum of effort.  
           [0006]    Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of an improved coin handling assembly and method for using same.  
           [0007]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin handling assembly which reduces the cost of manufacture over what is currently incurred in the manufacturing cost of current drawer designs.  
           [0008]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin handling assembly and method which provides improved security by eliminating a coin box and by eliminating exposed parts of the receptacle for the coin box.  
           [0009]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin handling assembly and method which provides improved design and flexibility permitting an interior vault to be shaped to fit within the available space within an appliance.  
           [0010]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved coin handling assembly and method which permits the increasing of the holding capacity of the coin handling assembly over that provided by available coin boxes.  
           [0011]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coin handling assembly and method which provides improved collector ergonomics by eliminating the need to handle heavy coin boxes.  
           [0012]    A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved coin handling assembly and method which are economical in manufacture, durable in use, and efficient in operation.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    The foregoing objects may be achieved by a coin handling assembly that includes a coin drop capable of receiving a plurality of coins one at a time, analyzing the value of the coins, and initiating operation of the appliance in response to receipt of coins having a predetermined value. Various types of presently available coin drops may be used, and all of these devices include a coin discharge for discharging the coins from the coin drop after receipt and analysis of the coins.  
           [0014]    A coin vault is provided in communication with the coin discharge of the coin drop for receiving and holding the coins after the coins have been discharged from the coin discharge. The coin vault includes a bottom wall and a coin outlet opening in the bottom wall.  
           [0015]    A locking member is movable from a closed position blocking the coin outlet to prevent the coins from exiting the coin vault to an open position permitting the coins to drop by gravity from the coin vault through the coin outlet opening. The locking member includes a lock actuator for responding only to a predetermined trigger mechanism to prevent moving of the locking member between the closed and open positions.  
           [0016]    The trigger mechanism may be a key operated lock, or an electrical or mechanical combination lock.  
           [0017]    According to one feature of the invention a coin chute is positioned to receive the coins exiting from the coin vault and to direct the coins externally from the appliance.  
           [0018]    According to another feature of the invention the coin chute may be movably mounted for movement from a folded position preventing the exit of coins to an open position permitting the coins to exit from the appliance.  
           [0019]    According to another feature of the invention the appliance includes external walls, and the coin vault is enclosed within the external walls so as not to be exposed to the outside of the appliance.  
           [0020]    The method of the present invention includes receiving the coins in a coin drop having coin insert slots accessible from outside the appliance walls. The coin drop is used to analyze the coins and initiate actuation of the appliance in response to receipt of coins analyzed to have a predetermined value. The coins are discharged from the coin drop into a coin vault located completely within the external cabinet walls and inaccessible from outside the external cabinet walls. A bottom opening is opened in the coin vault to permit the coins within the coin vault to drop by gravity from the coin vault. The coins dropping from the coin vault are directed to the outside of the external walls of the appliance.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an appliance utilizing the coin handling assembly of the present invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial front elevational view of the appliance in FIG. 1.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the coin handling assembly of the present invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 3A is a sectional view taken along line  3 A- 3 A of FIG. 3.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the coin vault in its open position.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a prior art coin handling assembly. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0027]    Referring to FIG. 1, an appliance  10  includes a cabinet  12  having side walls  14 , a front upper wall  16 , a front lower wall  18 , an upper angled wall  20  and a lower angled wall  22 . The appliance also includes a top wall  23  and a rear wall (not shown).  
         [0028]    In the front wall  16  is an upper door  24  and in the lower front wall  18  is a lower door  26 . The appliance  23  is shown to be a washer/dryer assembly, but other types of appliances could be used with the present invention. The present invention is not limited to use with any particular appliance.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 1, the front face of a coin drop  28  is visible from the outside of the cabinet  12 . Coin drop  28  includes coin slots  30  and coin returns  32 . The coin drop  28  is of typical prior art construction and numerous off the shelf coin drops are available for this purpose.  
         [0030]    Also visible in FIG. 1 from the front of cabinet  12  are an outlet chute  34  and a key receptacle  36 .  
         [0031]    Coin drop  28  includes a coin drop discharge  50  shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Below this coin drop discharge  50  is a coin vault  52  having a front wall  54 , a back wall  56 , a top wall  58 , a bottom wall  60  and side walls  62 . The top wall  58  is provided with a vault inlet opening  64  that is registered and in communication with the coin drop discharge  50 . A vault coin guide  66  is provided for directing coins  88  downwardly into the coin vault  52 . The bottom wall  60  of coin vault  52  is provided with a vault outlet opening  68 . The bottom wall  60  and the side walls  62  of vault  52  are sloped downwardly toward the vault outlet opening  68  so that the coins will naturally move by gravity toward the coin outlet opening  68 .  
         [0032]    A locking member  70  includes an open space  72  intermediate its opposite ends and a curved closure web  74  which in FIGS. 3 and 3A is shown to be in covering relation over the outlet opening  68  of coin vault  52 . In this position the coins are not permitted to exit through the outlet opening  68 .  
         [0033]    Locking member  70  is also provided with a key receptacle  36  which is adapted to receive a key for moving the closure web  74  out of covering relation over outlet opening  68 . The key receptacle has a chute locking tab  78  extending downwardly therefrom and is mounted for rotational movement along its longitudinal axis by means of a pivot mounting bolt  80 .  
         [0034]    While the lock member  70  is shown to be provided with a key receptacle  76  other types of locks may be used, including electrical or mechanical combination locks. The locking member  70  is pivotal about its longitudinal axis from its closed position shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A to its open position shown in FIG. 4. In the open position the open space  72  is registered below the outlet opening  68  of vault  52 , and the coins are permitted to drop downwardly through the outlet opening  68  and the open space  72  as illustrated in FIG. 4. These coins drop into a chute cavity  86  contained within the inside of cabinet  12 . A chute  34  is pivotally mounted for hinged movement about a chute hinge  82  from its closed position shown in FIG. 3 to its open position shown in FIG. 4. The upper edge of chute  34  includes a chute locking slot  84  which receives the chute locking tab  78  when the locking member  70  is in its closed position shown in FIG. 3. When the locking member is moved to its open position shown in FIG. 4 the tab  78  moves out of the slot  84  and permits the chute  34  to pivot to its downward position. In this downward position the chute  34  guides coins  88  into a basket, bag, or other container for carrying the coins away.  
         [0035]    The vault  52  is located entirely within the cabinet walls of the cabinet  12  so that it is not accessible from outside the cabinet. This differs from the structure of the drawer type construction of the prior art shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the use of the vault  52  eliminates the need for a drawer such as drawer  40 . This reduces the cost of the coin handling system.  
         [0036]    Another advantageous feature of the vault  52  is that it can be made of various shapes and configurations to accommodate the particular appliance involved without interfering with the other working components of the appliance.  
         [0037]    In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.