Patent GB-952857-A (GB)
Title: Change dispensing apparatus
IPC: G06C29/00
Filed: 1960-07-08
Abstract: 952,857. Change dispensing apparatus; digital electric calculating apparatus. SVENSKA DATAREGISTER A. B. July 8,1960 [July 9,1959], No. 23985/60. Headings G4A and G4X. The total cost of purchases is summed by means such as a cash register and the coinage part of the sum (e.g. the 76 cents of 9 dollars 76 cents) is signalled to a computer and change dispenser. The computer prepares the change from ten dollars for dispensing but if nine dollars and coins are offered by the customer, the cashier inserts them in the computer, which totals their value. If they add up to 76 cents the dispenser does not deliver change, if they add up to more than 76 cents the extra amount is dispensed as change and if they add up to less than 76 cents, say 53 cents, the coins delivered will equal the sum of the coins inserted plus the difference between the required amount and one dollar, a total of 77 cents, which can be given to the customer in return for a further dollar. Coin receiving and testing. The cashier advances the tendered coins across a tray 30 and under the appropriate notch 34 in a plate 32. At each notch, the coin moves apart a pair of rollers 64, 66 on levers 68, 70 and if the coin is of correct diameter a pair of levers 104,106 are also moved so that lugs 104b, 106b clear shoulders 90d on a lever 90. The coin can then depress a roller 88 on the lever 90 and finally drop into a coin magazine 44. Diagonal off-setting of lever pivots 78, 80 prevents withdrawal of a coin after it has passed the rollers and lugs 136 on the lever 90 extend above the tray 30 to prevent insertion of another coin while the lever 90 is depressed. Movement of both levers 106 and 90 change over switches 120 and 124 so that a signal pulse is sent to the computer. Change dispensing. A coin ejecting assembly is fitted below each coin magazine and comprises a number of apertured slides according to the maximum number of coins that may be required to be dispensed from a magazine at each operation i.e. four slides for cents, two for dimes and one for nickels and quarter and half dollars. The computer energizes appropriate solenoids to condition appropriate slides for operation by the tilting of a coin collecting funnel 56. The four superposed slides 154, 156, 158, 160 of the assembly for cents have their apertures aligned with a magazine 44 and the coin in the lowest slide 160 rests on a spring-loaded apertured plate 170 that can be withdrawn if it is desired to discharge all the coins from a magazine. Each slide is connected to one of four arms 178 pivoted at 180 and each arm is connected to the funnel 56 by a link 240, a bell crank lever 200 and a link 202, the bell crank being pivoted on an arm 220 itself pivoted at 228. When one solenoid 194 of a set of four is energized, a hook 268b is placed over a lug 220b on the arm 220 and movement of the link 240 tilts the bell crank 200 which, through the link 202, moves the arm 178 and coin slide to discharge position. If the solenoid has not been energized, the arm 220 tilts and the arm 178 is not moved. When the actuator solenoid is de-energized and the funnel released, springs 182, 252 and 264 return the parts to normal position and a latch plate 246 which has engaged under the hook 268b assists the spring 264. Movement of the funnel actuates a switch 276 so that a reset signal is sent to the computer. If the level of coins in a magazine falls to an inadequate level, a finger 290 on a lever 282 connected by a spring 288 to the arm 178 for the lowest coin slide 160 can move into the magazine and operate a switch 296 to illuminate a lamp 298, Fig.1, four indicating that at least one of the magazines is depleted. Single coins can be released manually from each magazine by depressing levers 152 which are connected to the slide-operating arm 178 for nickels, quarters and half dollars or to one of the slides for cents or dimes. Calculating apparatus. The change computer has four counting circuits 300, 302, 304 and 306 corresponding to cents, dimes, nickels, quarters and half dollars. As only one quarter or half dollar will be included in the change, only one binary counting stage F is included in the circuits 304,306 but, as the circuits 300 and 302 store amounts up to to four cents or from five to twenty cents,three stages F are necessary and the normal binary counting progression of the three stages is modified so that they reset to 'O' condition on receiving each fifth operating pulse. The counting stages F are bi-stable flip flops having a pair of transistors with cross-connected base and collector electrodes and are connected through amplifiers A to the solenoids, such as 194, selectively controlling coin discharge slides ready for movement when a funnel below the slides is tilted. Initially, a pulse from a generator 26a in the cash register, or operation of a switch 276 by the funnel, causes an OR gate 352 to send a pulse which resets all the counting circuits to 'O' condition. Assuming the cash register total is 76 cents, signal generator 26b and 26c simultaneously supply six pulses and seven pulses, respectively, to the OR gates 362 and 366, respectively. The fifth pulse to the circuit 300 resets the stages to 'O' condition and a carry-over pulse is passed to and stored in a bi-stable circuit 364 and the sixth pulse changes the stage 307 to '1' condition (which represents one cent). Since the circuit 302 operates in stages representing five cents, a monostable circuit 368 converts the seven ten-cent pulses into 14, which are forwarded through the OR gate 370. The circuit 302 is operated so that the stages 311 and 312 are in 'O' condition and stage 313 is in '1' condition, representing four five-cents; the fifth and tenth pulses cause two pulses to be sent to circuit 304 so that it is operated to '1' condition, and then back to 'O' condition, causing one pulse to be sent to change the circuit 306 to '1' condition, representing 50 cents. The generator 26d then supplies a pulse to a monostable circuit 376 which suplies one pulse through an OR gate 378 to return the storing circuit 364 to 'O' condition and cause the carry-forward of five cents to circuit 302. The circuit 302 returns to 'O' condition in all three stages and forwards a pulse to circuit 304 which changes to '1' condition, representing 25 cents. The total of 76 cents is now set up on half-dollar, quarter and cents circuits. The second pulse from monostable circuit 376 is applied to all the counting stages and sets them to a complementary value of 23 cents, represented by stages 313,307 and 308 in '1' condition and the remainder in 'O' condition. The second pulse is also applied through an OR gate 380 to bi-stable circuit 360 to remove negative potential from an AND gate 382 and apply it to an amplifier 384 so that illumination of a lamp 386 indicates that the amount from the cash register has been converted to its complementary value. To convert the nines complementary value of 23 cents to the tens complementary value of 24 cents, the generator 26e supplies a pulse to the cents counting circuit 300, changing the stages 307 and 308 to 'O' condition and the stage 309 to '1' condition. Stages 309 and 313 in '1' condition are now applying negative potential to the amplifiers 336, 338, 340, 342, 320 and 324 so that solenoids corresponding to the four one-cent ejecting slides and two dime ejecting slides are energized. Manual tilting of the funnel below the slides then causes them to eject two dimes and four cents. The pulse from generator 26e is also forwarded through OR gate 388, delay circuit 390 and OR gate 378 to reset the bi-stable circuit 364 to 'O' condition, if the latter circuit should be storing a carry pulse from the circuit 300. If, however, the customer tenders coins to meet the 76 cents part of the change, the cashier inserts these in the slots 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42, according to denomination. Considering the case where these total less than 76 cents, say 53 cents, in the form of a half dollar and three 1-cent coins, the first 1-cent coin in slot 34 generates a signal from a resistance-capacitor circuit which is forwarded through OR gate 362 to set stages 307-309 to 'O' condition, thus sending a pulse to operate bi-stable circuit 364 to '1' condition. The coin pulse is also forwarded through OR gate 388, delay circuit 390 and OR gate 378 to return circuit 364 to 'O' condition and thus send a pulse to counting circuit 302. All the stages 311-313 are in 'O' condition and the pulse generated by the restoration of stage 313 to 'O' condition is forwarded through OR gate 372 to operate counting circuit 304 to '1' condition. The first pulse from any of the coin slots is forwarded through OR gate 392 to bi-stable circuit 356 to operate it to '1' condition and a pulse from circuit 356 extinguishes lamp 386 and illuminates lamp 396, to indicate that at least one coin has been inserted. The remaining two 1- cent coins advance circuit 300 to a setting where stage 308 is in '1' condition and stages 307 and 309 are in '0' condition and the half-dollar inserted in slot 42 operates the circuit 306 to '1' condition. Therefore, the solenoids corresponding to one half-dollar, one quarter and two cents will be energized by the circuits 306, 304 and 308 in '1' condition and, on tilting the funnel, a total of 77 cents will be dispensed. If the correct value of coin is tendered by the customer their insertion leaves all the stages in '0' condition and no change is dispensed. As the stage 306 changes from '1' to '0' condition, a pulse forwarded through delay circuit 398 and OR gate 380 extinguishes the lamp 396 to indicate that change in at least the amount of 76 cents has been inserted. If the value of the coins tendered is greater than 76 cents, the dispenser operates to return the difference between the value tendered and 76 cents.