Patent Publication Number: US-6991083-B2

Title: Bill validator

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a bill validator for use in automatic vending machine or gaming machine for testing the validity of a bill. 
   BACKGROUND ART 
   Modernized automatic vending machine or gaming machine or the like capable of operating with a bill in addition to the previously known coin or token is increasing recently. Though these machines are equipped with bill validators, machines served in unattended environment must have functions to prevent various fraudulent or criminal activities other than validation/discrimination of paper currency. 
   A typical fraudulent activity is to retrieve a bill by pulling a string or a tape attached to the bill out of the machine after vending goods or services. To countermeasure such “stringing” activity a conventional bill validator is typically disposed with a block gate secured rotatably in a pathway to prevent bills from being retrieved. 
   Now, a conventional bill validator is described with reference to the drawings.  FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional view of a structure of a conventional bill validator. Bill inlet  1  is coupled to pathway  2  provided with first transportation portion  3  and second transportation portion  4  as shown. Rubber rollers are adopted for all of the transportation means in this example. Magnetic sensor  5  and first optical sensors  6   a  and  6   b  are mounted on pathway  2  for the bill validation. Outlet  7  is located at an end of pathway that extends to a bill storage box, and anti-stringing block  9  secured rotatably with respect to supporting point  8  on its one end while extends to the pathway on its another end is provided between validation portion  5 ,  6   a ,  6   b  and second transportation portion  4 . 
   Now, movements of a conventional bill validator are described. A bill detector (not shown) disposed at inlet  1  detects a bill inserting, and sends signals to controller (not shown) to drive first transportation portion  3  and second transportation portion  4  to transport the bill along pathway  2 . Scanning the bill to obtain test data during the transportation along pathway  2 , magnetic sensor  5  and first optical sensor  6   a ,  6   b  compare the data with data of valid bills taken previously. If disagreed to accept first transportation portion  3  and second transportation portion  4  rotate in a reverse direction to return the bill to inlet  1 , and if agreed the bill is forwarded further. 
   Leading edge of the bill transported to pathway  2  lifts anti-stringing block  9  and leave the situation kept unchanged until the rear edge of the bill passes anti-stringing block  9 . Anti-stringing block  9  extends in pathway  2  after the rear edge of the bill has passed anti-stringing block  9  to block a back flow of the bill. Therefore, a fraudulent activity to retrieve a bill by pulling a string or a tape attached to the bill out of the validator after vending goods or services would be blocked by the blocking of anti-stringing block  9 . 
   Though such a known art as anti-stringing block  9  is an effective measure against fraudulence using bills only, but a perfect measure has been difficult for other fraudulence to retrieve bills once validated as authentic out of validator with small materials of metal or paper used together with the strings to lift anti-stringing block  9  from the pathway except an introduction of a path blocking apparatus at the end of bill validator that can guarantee to block the return of the bill. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,439 discloses an example of path blocking apparatus for such purposes in which approximately drum shaped body having a rectangular slot for passing bill is rotated to prevent bill from being retrieved. But the problem is that the validator including the drum shaped body becomes large and the power consumed in the driving apparatus increases. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The bill validator disclosed comprises: (a) a bill inlet; (b) a pathway coupled to the inlet; (c) transportation portion and validation portion disposed on the pathway; (d) an outlet provided at one end of the pathway; and (e) a plurality of pathway selectors positioned nearer to the inlet than one of the transportation portion, wherein the plurality of selectors select the pathways in respective different phases for pathways to form a cross between the plurality of pathway selectors in every pathway selection. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a cross-sectional side view of a bill validator used in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows a cross-sectional top view of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of blocking gates of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a schematic view of the transportation mechanism of the driving portion of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a schematic view of the selecting mechanism of the driving portion of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 6  shows a schematic view of the driving mechanism of the transportation portion of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
     FIGS.  7 A 1  to  7 A 4 , and  7 B 1  to  7 B 4  show schematic views of the rotating motion of the blocking gates of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
     FIGS.  8 C 1  to  8 C 3  show schematic views of counter measure for fraudulent activity of the bill validator of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a cross-sectional side view of a conventional bill validator. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   (Exemplary Embodiment) 
   Now, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. 
     FIG. 1  shows a cross-sectional view of a pathway of the bill validator used in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Bill inlet  1  is coupled to pathway  2  provided with first transportation portion  3  and second transportation portion  4  as shown in  FIG. 1 . Rubber rollers accompanied by auxiliary rollers  11  and  12  respectively, facing each other across pathway  2  to press a bill between them are adopted as the transportation means in this example. Additionally, validation means comprised of magnetic sensor  5  with bill pressing member  13  and first optical sensors  6   a  and  6   b  are disposed in pathway  2 . 
   Outlet  7  is located at an end of pathway  2  that extends to a bill storage box. Laid down across pathway  2 , approximately semi-cylindrical shaped first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15 , a plurality of pathway selectors are disposed in a concaved portion that copies the shape of the periphery in pathway  2  between bill validation portion  5 ,  6   a ,  6   b  and transportation portion  4 . 
     FIG. 2  shows a top view of an internal structure of pathway  2  of the bill validator used in the exemplary embodiment. Both of first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  are formed across entire width of pathway  2  and are secured rotatably to side walls  17  and  18  of housing  16  that constructs pathway  2 . 
   On one end of first blocking gate  14 , vane wheel  19  is disposed that is necessary to detect a required rotation angle using an optical sensor (not shown), and ratchet  20  and click  21  are also disposed to control the rotation direction of rotary shutter. 
   Second optical sensor  22  and third optical sensor  23 , added to validate a bill more precisely, are shown in  FIG. 2  additionally. 
     FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a relation between first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15 . 
     FIG. 4  shows a driving portion for first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15 . Worm  25  is fitted to rotary shaft of motor  24 , and is geared to worm wheel  27  disposed on driving shaft  26  as shown in  FIG. 4 . Driving gear wheel  50  is fixed to driving shaft  26  concentrically, and crank arm  28  is also disposed on the shaft rotatably with a small axial friction. 
   Shaft  30  of planet gear wheel  29 , moving iron  31  and roller lock  32  are fixed to crank arm  28  integrally. Planet gear wheel  29 , usually engaged with driving gear  50 , changes target to engage in response to a positioning of crank arm  28 . Namely, in the first positioning corresponding to a clockwise movement of crank arm  28 , planet gear wheel  29  engages with transportation driving gear  33  that rotates second transportation portion  4  at the same time. And in the second positioning corresponding to an anti-clockwise movement of crank arm  28  shown in  FIG. 5 , planet gear wheel  29  engages with two-stage gear  34  disposed on first blocking gate  14  concentrically. Two-stage gear  34  engages also gear  51  disposed on second blocking gate  15  concentrically enabling to rotate first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  synchronously. 
   Moving iron  31  is appressed against absorption magnet  35  in the first positioning of crank arm  28 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , in the second positioning of crank arm  28 , roller lock  32  engages with gear  36  that is incorporated with second transportation portion  4  and transportation driving gear  33  to hold second transportation portion  4 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , second transportation portion  4  and first transportation portion  3  are engaged with a chain of gears  37 ,  38 ,  39 ,  40 ,  41 ,  41  and  43  to rotate simultaneously in the same direction. 
   Now, the movements of the bill validator used in the exemplary embodiment are described. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a bill detector (not shown) disposed at inlet  1  detects a bill inserting, and sends signals to controller (not shown) to drive motor  24  and to rotate driving shaft  26  clockwise. At the same time, absorption magnet  35  is energized to absorb moving iron  31  and to fix crank arm  28  in the first positioning. 
   Consequently, the second transportation portion  4  and first transportation portion  3  engaged in a chain of gears  37 ,  38 ,  39 ,  40 ,  41 ,  42  and  43  begin to rotate clockwise to pull the bill from inlet  1  to pathway  2 . 
   Scanned by magnetic sensor  5  and first optical sensor  6   a  and  6   b  or the like, the bill is stopped traveling when a bill positioning sensor (not shown) or a bill travel distance detector judges that the rear edge of the bill passes second blocking gate  15  and stops the motor temporarily. If the data obtained from these sensors do not agree with a predetermined range of data from valid bills, motor  24  rotates in a reverse direction, leaving magnet  35  kept energized, to rotate second transportation portion  4  and first transportation portion  3  in anti-clockwise direction to emit the bill from inlet to outside. 
   If the data agree with a predetermined range of valid bills, power supply is switched off for magnet  35  to rotate motor  24  in a reverse direction. Then, crank arm  28  rotates anti-clockwise led by the rotating force of driving shaft  26  and moves to the second positioning as shown in  FIG. 5 . At this time, roller lock  32  locks gear  36 , second transportation portion  4  that rotates with gear  36  simultaneously and first transportation portion  3  to stop the bill not to move anymore. 
   In the second positioning of crank arm  28 , rotation of driving shaft  26  makes two-stage gear  34  rotate anti-clockwise, furthermore, makes first blocking gate  14  rotate anti-clockwise and make second blocking gate  15  rotate anti-clockwise. FIGS.  7 A 1  to  7 B 4  show conditions of the rotation control. Care should be taken that each element seems to rotate in an opposite direction to  FIG. 5  due to the projection direction condition. Optical sensor comprised of vane wheel  19  and photo-interrupter  44  can control starting and stopping of first blocking gate  14  in timing with light shielding or lighting. 
   FIGS.  7 B 1 ,  7 B 2 ,  7 B 3  and  7 B 4  show positioning of vane wheels with respect to starting and stopping in steps of 90 degree. FIGS.  7 A 1 ,  7 A 2 ,  7 A 3  and  7 A 4  show respective corresponding conditions of opening and closing for the pathway by first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15 . 
   In addition to the control of rotating movements, ratchet  20  and click  21  can stop vane wheel at any position with accurately predetermined angle and can prevent rotation in a reverse direction caused by a pulling force from string or tape attached to the bill. 
   Rotating first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  by 90 degree as shown in FIG.  7 A 2 , pathway  2  is perfectly closed to block fraudulent activities done by foreign materials inserted from inlet  1 . If first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  do not rotate for a predetermined angle due to foreign materials engaged, vane wheel  19  and optical sensors will detect the fact and then cautions the occurrence of fraudulent activities. 
   After first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  properly close pathway  2 , signal is processed subsequently to accept the bill as a valid bill, and absorption magnet  35  is energized again to drive motor  24  in normal direction to transport the bill to forward to the storage box. 
   Additionally, in case of need for the bill to be returned for a reason of machinery maintenance or the like even after accepting the bill as authentic, the bill can be emitted from inlet  1  to outside if absorption magnet  35  is energized to rotate motor  24  in a reverse direction because pathway  2  opens when first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  rotate by 90 degree to the stage as shown in FIG.  7 A 3 . The present invention can contribute to increase a freedom in machine designing as such a function is impossible in conventional technology. 
   As described above, four times of sequential rotating operations in steps of 90 degree each can bring back to the initial situation. A fraudulent action to fool the bill validator may be predicted possible using a string fine enough not to disturb the movement of blocking gates and afterward retrieve the bill by pulling the string. As shown in FIG.  8 C 3 , however, a fine string  52  inserted into pathway  2  would become an obstacle for bills or foreign materials coming into the path afterward, then the fraudulent activity is detected and will be thwarted. 
   As first blocking gate  14  and second blocking gate  15  have cylindrical periphery of a plurality of different shapes as shown in  FIG. 3 , comb-shaped joint configuration can prevent joint portion from pathway  2  to first blocking gate  14  or second blocking gate  15  from jamming with curled edges or fold lines of bills. 
   Additionally, a driving method for a plurality of pathway selectors using different power for the transportation portion is described in the exemplary embodiment of the invention. But briefly speaking, a different power for instance a ratchet apparatus driven by a solenoid can work also for the purpose. In this occasion, ratchet  20  and click  21  provided for positioning and anti-reverse rotation can be used commonly as a part of driving portion. 
   In accordance with an aspect of this invention, the bill validator has a plurality of pathway selectors comprised of a pair of approximately semi-cylindrical shaped blocking gates laid down across the pathway and a driving portion to rotate the pair of blocking gates around axes synchronously for opening and closing the path. The configuration can contribute to make the apparatus with low profile and to provide blocking gates with light weight resulting a reduced power consumption for the driving. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator has a pair of blocking gates disposed such that the cross-sectional surfaces of the blocking gates are positioned to form a rotational symmetry with each other. The configuration has an effect to reduce the production cost of the validator by adopting blocking gates with same shapes for common use. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator has blocking gates having cylindrical periphery of a plurality of different shapes and concaved portions having shapes copying the cylindrical periphery in the pathway to dispose the blocking gate. The configuration can prevent the comb-shaped joint portion from jamming with bills. 
   In accordance with another aspect of this invention, the bill validator has a pair of blocking gates disposed such that the maximum peripheral surface of one blocking gate faces against the minimum peripheral surface of another blocking gate. The configuration can prevent joint portions of both blocking gates from jamming with bills and can dispose blocking gates within a close distance resulting a downsizing design of the validator. 
   In accordance with another aspect of this invention, the bill validator is provided with a driving portion to restrict the rotation of the blocking gates in one direction only. The configuration can prevent bills from being retrieved from the validator by a strong pulling force through a string or the like attached to the bill that makes blocking gates rotate in a reverse direction and eventually open the pathway. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator is provided with a canceling portion to cancel the function of the driving portion temporarily to rotate blocking gates freely in both directions. The configuration enables for administrators to clear off the foreign materials engaged in the blocking gates if a fraudulent activity is deterred leaving strings or bills or the like left engaged in the blocking gates. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator has: a driving base; a gear clutch coupled to the driving base; an electric magnet to restrict a movement of the clutch in one direction only, wherein the transportation portion is coupled to one driving shaft to which gear clutch is coupled when the magnet is energized and the other driving shaft is to work as a driving portion of a blocking gates. The configuration can provide a bill validator having “anti-stringing” structure with a downsized body and reduced price as the driving base specifically for use in the blocking gates is not necessary. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator is provided with a hook wheel on the rotary shaft coupled to the transportation portion, wherein a stopper to restrict the transportation portion by engaging with hook wheel, when the gear clutch is engaged in the other rotary shaft, is incorporated with the gear clutch. The configuration has an effect to eliminate risks that movement of bills can not be controlled under out-of-control movement of the transportation portion, even in a case when the power supply is changed by the gear clutch. 
   In accordance with also an aspect of this invention, the bill validator employs a ratchet mechanism driven by a solenoid as the driving portion, wherein the ratchet mechanism works also as a control portion. The configuration can provide a simple and reliable driving portion for the blocking gates. 
   In accordance also with an aspect of this invention, the bill validator has a plurality of pathway selectors having a pair of gate plates across the width of the pathway in a direction of bill thickness. The configuration can provide reliable pathway selectors if rotary blocking gates are difficult to apply owing to some restrictive condition of the pathway design. 
   Additionally, different from the rotary blocking gates used in the exemplary embodiment, among pathway selectors performing various types of motion in the pathway such as oscillating motion or reciprocating motion, combination of more than two types of pathway selectors in different phases of motion can provide a reliable anti-fraudulence effects as shown in FIGS.  8 C 1 ,  8 C 2  and  8 C 3 . 
   The above mentioned configurations can provide bill validators with a reliable anti-retrieving effects. 
   As mentioned above, the bill validator disclosed in the present invention is provided with a plurality of pathway selectors at a position nearer to the inlet from the outlet, wherein the selectors select the pathways in respective different phases for the pathways to form a cross between the plurality of pathway selectors in every pathway selection. The configuration can prevent accepted bills from being retrieved using strings or tapes.