COIN DISPENSING MECHANISM

Abstract: Coin handling apparatus is provided comprising a rotor (14) which is rotatable to move coins (17) towards an exit slot (11) and a wiping device (19) to contact the coins and direct them into the slot (11), the wiping device having an escape recess (26) spaced from a face of the rotor (14), to receive at least part of a coin not properly seated on the face of the rotor (14) thus reducing the risk that this improperly seated coin will jam another coin. Preferably, the escape recess (26) has a depth which is slightly larger than the thickness of the coins, but a width which is slightly smaller than a diameter of the coins. This ensures that a coin cannot move completely into the recess where it might cause a jam which would be difficult to free. If it is a jam, then it occurs in a controlled manner, as a result of the jammed coin being unable to move fully into the escape slot. Although the jammed coins cannot move forwards, they are not wedged together and there is therefore no impediment to their moving in the reverse direction. The jam can therefore be freed without dismantling the apparatus by known anti-jamming mechanisms which can be used to cause the rotor to reverse its direction temporarily, if there is an impediment to its forward motion.

Description: COIN DISPENSING MECHANISM The invention relates to dispensing mechanisms and particularly, but not exclusively, to a coin or token handling mechanism for use in vending machines, amusement or games machines, change giving machines or any other machine in which coins or tokens are handled. For simplicity, the word coin will be used throughout the specification to represent both coins and tokens. The invention is particularly suitable for use with apparatus having the form described in our International Patent application number PCT/GB 96/01793. In apparatus having this general form, coins are picked up from a store and moved towards an exit slot by a rotor. The rotor may have pegs thereon to move the coins towards the slot. A wiping member is provided to contact the moving coins and direct them off the rotor and into the slot. Coins can become worn or slightly bent so whenever coins are directed into a slot, there is always a risk that thin or deformed coins will cause a jam as they enter the slot, either because of their own shape or because they ride over and wedge another coin. If the jam is severe, then it may be necessary to dismantle the apparatus which results in expensive down-time. The invention seeks to provide a coin handling apparatus of this general form, which is less prone to jamming. The invention provides coin handling apparatus comprising a rotor which is rotatable to move coins towards an exit slot, and a wiping device to contact the coins and direct them into the slot, the wiping device having an escape recess spaced from a face of the rotor, to receive at least part of a coin not properly seated on the face of the rotor thus reducing the risk that this improperly seated coin will jam another coin. Preferably the escape recess has a depth which is slightly larger than the thickness of the coins, but a width which is slightly smaller than a diameter of the coins. This ensures that a coin cannot move completely into the recess where it might cause a jam which would be difficult to free. If there is a jam, then it occurs in a controlled manner, as a result of the jamming coin being unable to move fully into the escape slot. Although the jammed coins cannot move forwards, they are not wedged together and there is therefore no impediment to their moving in the reverse direction. The jam can therefore be freed without dismantling the apparatus by known anti- jamming mechanisms, which can be used to cause the rotor to reverse its direction temporarily, if there is an impediment to its forward motion. The wiping member may cooperate with a spacer to define, with part of the rotor, the exit slot. The spacer may be integral with the body of the wiping device. By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :- Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of coin handling apparatus according to the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are front views of the wiping area of the apparatus, showing respectively two forms of potential jamming situation with which the apparatus can cope; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view through the wiping area, showing normal operation; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view through the wiping area showing the situation of Figure 2; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the situation of Figure 3. The apparatus shown in Figure 1 has a coin hopper 10 and an exit slot 11 defined by a coin track 12 and cover plate 13. The function of the apparatus is to feed coins from the hopper 10 to the exit slot 1 1 and for this purpose a rotor is provided in the form of a disc 14 bearing a plurality raised portions or of pegs 15. The pegs 15 could comprise separate pegs or raised portions that are made by punching a flat plate. The pegs may be raised above the face 16 by slightly less than the width of a coin. The pegs 15 pick up coins from a stock (not shown) at the bottom of the hopper and move the coins upwardly. As the coins approach the top of the hopper they should lie flat against a face 16 of the disc (see for example the coin 17 which is supported by one of the pegs and by a lip 18 on the disc). At the top of the disc, the coins are guided into the slot 1 1 by a wiping member 19. The wiping member 19 comprises a bridge member having a shape generally that of a Z with side arms 20 and 21 joined by a cross member 22. The wiping area, during normal operation is shown in cross section in Figure 4. The disc 14 and lip 18 cooperate with part of the apparatus housing 23 and a spacer 24 to define a coin receiving slot 25. As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the profile of the slot 25 is continued along the arm 21 of the wiping device so that as a coin approaches the arm 21 its edge is captured under the arm 21 to start the guiding movement of the coin towards the exit slot I I . Referring back to Figure 4, conventional wiping members fully close the slot 25 but the wiping member of this embodiment has an escape recess 26. As can be seen from Figure 4, the depth of the recess 26 is slightly greater than the thickness of the coin 27 but the width of the recess 26 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the coin 27. With prior art arrangements, where the slot 25 is fully closed by the wiping member, a bent coin can jam in the slot in such a way that the coin can move neither forwards nor backwards and the apparatus has to be dismantled to free the jam. Similarly, a thin coin could ride over another coin causing the two coins to jam in the slot in a manner in which they can move neither forwards or backwards. The provision of the escape recess 26 substantially reduces the risk of a jam. If however a jam does occur, the presence of the escape recess means that the jam results from coins being unable to move forwards. The coins do not become wedged together so they are still free to move in the return direction and a standard anti-jam mechanism on the disc, sensing an impediment to forward movement of the disc, causes the disc to reverse temporarily and the jammed coins can then fall away. One form of clearable jam is shown in Figures 2 and 5, in which a coin 28 has tilted to lie across both slots. This coin cannot enter the exit slot and so the movement of the disc stops. The disc then automatically rotates in the reverse direction, taking the coin 28 back with it, and the coin will then either fall off the disc back into the hopper, or will reseat itself in the correct position shown in Figure 4. Figure 3 illustrates the situation in which two coins lie closely on top of one another. One of these coins might be a thinner coin and this overlapping situation would normally result in a jam which could not be freed without dismantling the apparatus. With the wiping member of the invention, the outer coin 29 is able to move partly into the escape recess 26. It cannot move fully into the recess because the width of the recess is smaller than the diameter of the coin but there is no danger of the outer coin 29 providing sideways pressure to the coin 30 because there is plenty of room for the thicknesses of the two coins to be accommodated by the slot 25 and recess 26. Thus, the coin 29 merely sits freely in the position shown in Figure 6, with correctly positioned coins such as 30 sliding underneath the coin 29 and into the exit slot. In due course the coin 29 may simply fall away. If however one of the pins on the disc still engages the coin 29 and tries to push it forwards, the automatic reversing function comes into play and the disc will reverse, taking the coin 29 away from the wiping member, or it may then fall away under gravity. Another possibility is that after the coin 30 has moved forwards, the coin 29 twists and moves into the position shown in Figure 5, taking the place of coin 28. In this situation, movement is again arrested, and the disc will automatically reverse. The final possibility is that the coin 29 may in due course reseat itself flat against the face of the disc, in which case it is then dispensed in the normal way. A wiping arrangement similar to that shown in the drawings can be used with any coin handling apparatus where coins are to be transported from a disc to an exit slot. In this embodiment the exit slot is shown extending in an upward and leftward direction, as viewed in Figure 1 , but a similar arrangement can be used to feed coins in any direction. The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Coin handling apparatus comprising a rotor which is rotatable to move coins towards an exit slot, and a wiping device to contact the coins and direct them into the slot, the wiping device having an escape recess spaced from a face of the rotor, to receive at least part of a coin not properly seated on the face of the rotor thus reducing the risk that this improperly seated coin will jam another coin. 2. Coin handling apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 , in which the escape recess has a depth which is slightly larger than the thickness of the coins, but has a width which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the coins, thus ensuring that a coin cannot move completely into the recess, where it might cause a jam which would be difficult to free. 3. Coin handling apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the wiping member co-operates with a spacer to define, with part of the rotor, the exit slot. 4. Coin handling apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, in which the spacer is integral with the body of the wiping device. 5. Coin handling apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the rotor being such that if forward movement of the coin is impeded as a result of a coin moving into the escape recess thus causing a controlled jam, the rotor automatically reverses direction to move the coin in the reverse direction to free the jam. 6. Coin handling apparatus constructed and arranged substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: BELL MIKE, PALING MARK, BELL, MIKE, PALING, MARK
Applicants: BELL MIKE, COIN CONTROLS, PALING MARK, BELL, MIKE, COIN CONTROLS LIMITED, PALING, MARK
Application year: 1997
Main classification: G07D9
IPC codes: G07D9