Patent Publication Number: US-2009236199-A1

Title: Coin change device with automatic readjustmentment and classification

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The invention is related to a coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification which can perform automatic functions of readjustment, recognition, calculation and storage as well as change-making action, and is more particularly suitable for settling accounts in various transaction/retail (wholesale) businesses. 
     (b) Description of the Prior Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  which is a schematic view of a conventional cash register, as shown in the Fig., the conventional cash register  90  is constituted by structural members such as a screen  91 , a keyboard  92  and a change box  93 , wherein screen  91  is used for displaying amount of payment and change, and change box  93  is used for storing paper bills and coins, thereby when the register receives the paper bills and coins of payment from the customer, the cash amount is first counted, then paper bills and coins are respectively put in the change box, and in case of change-making is required, the amount of change money is taken out from the change box and given to the consumer. 
     The above said account setting actions are manually handled by the register, therefore, errors may happen in calculating the received cash amount or change-making deals to require for counting coins in daily account closure, while it is labor consuming and may cause other chances of errors. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To present a clearer picture of the characteristics and advantageous arts of the invention, a coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification capable of performing automatic coin recognition, calculation, storage and change-making action, etc. is used as the preferred embodiment for detail description. 
     The invention discloses a coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification to resolve the know problem of possible calculation errors in receiving and dispensing coins and to resolve the problem of manpower loss for having to separately count the coins. 
     Another embodiment of the invention is disclosed by that said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification can be matched with transaction/retail(wholesale) account closing device for use to comprise a coin readjustment and dispense module, a recognition module, a storage module and a dispense/retrieve module, wherein more than one, even several tens of coins can be thrown into said coin readjustment and dispense module at one time to recognize coin value and authenticity by said recognition module, and said storage module is subsequently installed rear to the recognition module for storing coins to finally through said dispense/retrieve module to dispense the coin changes or to further retrieve the coins back to the coin box. 
     Therefore, the invention is purposed to disclose a coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification, wherein when the customer makes payment to the register, all the coins received by the register are thrown into the coin readjustment and dispense module, therefrom said coins are automatically, individually and orderly performed with recognition, calculation, storage and change-making actions, thereby to exempt required manual counting and change-making operation by the register and thus reducing chances of possible errors in receiving and dispensing the monetary amount as well as saving the time required for daily coins counting and adjustment. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a conventional cash register 
         FIG. 2(A)  is a schematic view showing the first embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification. 
         FIG. 2(B)  is a schematic view showing the second embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the third embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification. 
         FIG. 4(A)  is a schematic view showing the fourth embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification. 
         FIG. 4(B)  is a schematic view showing the fifth embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a coin readjustment and dispense module of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view showing the action of a coin readjustment and dispense module of the invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows a status of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification in usage. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 2(A)  which is a schematic view showing the first embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification, wherein as shown in the Fig., said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  comprises a coin readjustment and dispense module  21 , recognition module  22 , storage module  23  and dispense/retrieve module  24 , wherein more than one, even several tens of coins can be thrown into the coin readjustment and dispense module  21  at one time, the recognition module  22  is installed rear to said coin readjustment and dispense module  21  to recognize the coin value and authenticity (not shown in the Fig.), the storage module  23  is subsequently further installed rear to said recognition module  22  for coins storage, and lastly the dispense/retrieve module  24  is sidely installed at the rear end of said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20 , whereby to dispense the coin changes and to take out the coins conveniently, or said dispense/retrieve module  24  can be frontly installed at rear end of said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  as shown in  FIG. 2(B)  which is a schematic view of the second embodiment. 
     As said above, when the customer makes payment to the register, all the coins received by the register are thrown into the coin readjustment and dispense module  21 , therefrom said coins are automatically, individually and orderly passed through the recognition module  22  for recognizing the coin values and authenticities thereof, further counted and subsequently dropped into the storage module  23  for storage. In case there is a need for change-making after counting, the coin changes are automatically dispensed by dispense/retrieve module  24  to allow the register to directly take out the coin changes from said dispense/retrieve module  24  and return to the consumer without having to open said storage module  23  for the changes. Through this, coin recognition, counting, storage and change-making action can be automatically performed by said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20 , thereby to exempt required manual counting and change-making operation by the register and thus reducing chances of possible errors in receiving and dispensing the monetary amount as well as saving the time required for daily coins counting and adjustment. 
     Other embodiments of the invention can be further described more clearly by referring to the following Figs., it is first referred to  FIG. 3  which is a schematic view showing the third embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification, wherein storage module  23  comprises a plurality of storage boxes  231 , such as that four storage boxes  231  are installed in parallel rear to said recognition module  22  for storing different values of recognized coins including such as coins of 1, 5, 10 and 50 NTD values, whereby said four storage boxes  231  can be respectively used for supplementing or counting coins and if said storage module  23  is damaged, it can be independently repaired, and that is simpler and more convenient. 
     Further referring to  FIG. 4(A)  which is a schematic view showing the fourth embodiment of the invented coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification by taking account of human engineering factors in the embodiment thereof, wherein said coin readjustment and dispense module  21  is moved to one side of said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  for the consumer or register to throw in coins conveniently, while said dispense/retrieve module  24  is located at the middle of said integral coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  approximately facing to above waist of the register so as to allow the register to take out the coin changes and quickly return to the consumer. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 4(B) , a coin buffer storage module  25  can be installed rear to said storage module  23 , whereby when the thrown-in coins are incompatible with said storage module  23  (such as a 20 NTD coin is thrown in, but no storage module  23  for the 20 NTD coin is available), then the incompatible coin is dropped to said coin buffer storage module, or when said coin storage module  23  is full to store no more coins, said coins are dropped to said coin buffer storage module  25  for temporary storage. 
     Practical implementations are as shown in  FIG. 5 , wherein said coin readjustment and dispense module  21  comprises a main body  211 , a throw-in opening  212 , a rotating disk  213 , a first driving device  214  and a disk outlet  215 , wherein said main body  211  is made with a said throw-in opening  212  on the top thereof, said rotating disk  213  being installed under throw-in opening  212  has several raised posts  216  thereon and a poke piece  217  at one side thereof, said first driving device  214  is inter-connected with said rotating disk  213  whereby to drive it for rotation, and said disk outlet  215  is installed at another side of said main body  211  relative to said throw-in opening  212 . Referring to  FIG. 6  simultaneously, when a handful of coins  4  is thrown in, said coins  4  are dropped on said rotating disk  213  between said raised posts  216  whereof, whereby when said rotating disk  213  is driven by said first driving device  214  to rotate, said coins  4  are driven to move towards said disk outlet  215 , and at the same time, other coins  4  on top of coins  4  piled up between raised posts  216  are poked away by poke piece  217  to allow said coins  4  between raised posts  216  via disk outlet  215  to smoothly fall in said recognition module  22  for recognizing coin value and authenticity. 
     A foreign object discharge cassette  218  is further sidely installed on main body  211  of said coin readjustment and dispense module  21  to be driven upward and downward by a second driving device  219  for opening and closing actions, in case that foreign objects other than coins are mistakenly thrown in the coin chute, said second driving device  219  is actuated to open the foreign object discharge cassette  218  to discharge the foreign objects. 
     In addition, said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  can be further matched with various sales device A for use as shown in  FIG. 7  which gives an embodiment of a transaction/retail (wholesale) account closing device A combining with a cash register, wherein said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  is externally attached to one side of the sales device A, or said coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification  20  can be combined into the transaction/retail(wholesale) account closing device A for a good appearance effect. 
     For said reason, most importantly the receiving and dispensing coins operation can be automatically performed by the register through the coin change device with automatic readjustment and classification of the invention. Therefore, the invention is full of originality and progressiveness to meet the requirements for patent applications. Hence, it is herein applied according to law and your earlier approval on the claims is greatly appreciated. 
     The invention has been specifically described hereinbefore, wherein only preferred embodiments of the invention are described, and scope of the invention shall not be limited thereto. All equivalent changes or modifications thereof relative to claims of the invention shall be included in the claimed scope of the invention.