Patent Publication Number: US-2015062960-A1

Title: Light-emitting mounting structure of a valuable document acceptor

Description:
This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan patent application number 102216636, filed on Sep. 4, 2013. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to bill acceptor technology, and more particularly, to a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor, which has light diffuser panels and a light guide plate mounted in a face panel thereof around a diverging front open side of a bill insertion slot in the face panel for guiding and diffusing emitted light from light-emitting devices to illuminate the diverging front open side of the bill insertion slot in the dark. This design also allows adjustment of the amount of installed light-emitting devices and their installation locations. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Following fast development of modern technology, (convenience and rapidness have become important demands in our modern daily life. Nowadays, different automatic vending machines, card dispensers, ticket machines and bill exchange machines used everywhere to sell different products without serviceman. These machines are highly appreciated for the advantage of saving much labor and bringing convenience to people. 
     In our daily life, we use cash, coins, checks, credit card, cash card, debit card or intelligent card to pay for purchases. However, some particular places, such as amusement center, park, hotel, casino, etc., may not accept credit card. These particular places may simply accept predetermined valuable documents, such as paper tokens or special securities for access or payment. Various valuable document acceptors of different models, sizes and functions are commercially available and widely used for receiving and verifying different valuable documents. Valuable document acceptors may be installed in corner areas in different places. These valuable document acceptors commonly provide “instructions for use” at the face panel around the valuable document insertion slot. However, an aged or young person may be unable to read the instructions for use clearly due to poor vision or insufficient lamination, leading to inconvenience. 
     In order to solve the aforesaid problem, some valuable document acceptor manufacturers install light source means in the machine for emitting light to illuminate the valuable document insertion slot. However, because a valuable document acceptor has bill box, power drive, push member, transmission mechanism, sensor device, recognition device, power unit, anti-theft device, and many other component parts mounted therein, there is not much space left for the installation of light source means. Thus, only a limited amount of light-emitting devices can be installed in a valuable document acceptor around the valuable document insertion slot, i.e., the number of light-emitting devices and their installation locations are limited. In this situation, even if there is sufficient illumination in the surrounding area around the installation location of the valuable document acceptor, the installed light-emitting devices in the valuable document acceptor may be unable to provide sufficient illumination to the marked instructions for use, and a user may be unable to read the instructions for use clearly. Thus, how to solve this problem. is an important subject to every provider or person involved in this field. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor, which uses light diffuser panels to diffuse light emitted by light-emitting devices, giving sufficient illumination to a diverging front open side of a bill insertion slot thereof in the dark. It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor, which uses a light guide plate to guide light emitted by light-emitting devices toward light diffuser panels, enabling the light diffuser panels to diffuse light toward the diverging front open side of the bill insertion slot for illumination. Subject to this arrangement, the amount of light-emitting devices and their installation locations can be adjusted and, different colors of light-emitting devices can be used and controlled to provide different color patterns and/or flashing patterns, attracting consumers and fitting different requirements. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an oblique top elevational view of a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the face panel of the light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  corresponds to  FIG. 3  when viewed from another angle. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional side view of the light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of Part A of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor in accordance with the present invention is shown. The light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor comprises a main unit  1 , and a face panel  2 . 
     The main unit  1  comprises a bill passage  11 , a front opening  111  obliquely disposed at a front side thereof in communication with the bill passage  11 , a plurality of light-emitting devices  12 , for example, light-emitting diodes mounted therein and respectively arranged at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the front opening  111  and controllable to emit light forwardly toward the outside of the main unit  1 , and at least one light transmission board  13  mounted at the front side and covered over the light-emitting devices  12 . Further, at least one light-emitting device  12  is kept apart from the front opening  111  at a predetermined distance. 
     The face panel  2  comprises an accommodation open chamber  20  defined in a back side thereof for accommodating a front part of the main unit  1 , a front protruding block  21  located at a front side thereof, a bill insertion slot  22  formed in the front protruding block  21  and kept in communication with the front opening  111  and bill passage  11  of the main unit  1  for the insertion of a valuable document (paper money, security, coupon, paper token or check) and defining a diverging front open side  221 , a plurality of mounting slots  222  respectively disposed at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22  and kept in communication with the accommodation open chamber  20 , and a mounting hole  223  disposed below the mounting slots  222  and the bill insertion slot  22 . 
     Further, two light diffuser panels  23  are respectively mounted in the mounting slots  222  of the face panel  2 . Further, at least one light guide plate  24  is mounted in the mounting hole  223  of the face panel  2 . Each light diffuser panel  23  comprises a locating groove  231 , a light-exit surface  232  fitting the top or bottom side of the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 , and an index mark  233  located at the light-exit surface  232 . Preferably, the light-exit surface  232  is frosted. The light guide plate  24  comprises a light-incident surface  241  facing toward the light-emitting devices  12 , a first reflective surface  242 , a light-exit surface  243  positioned in the locating grooves  231  of the light diffuser panels  23  and facing toward the light diffuser panel  23 , a second reflective surface  244 , and two mounting lugs  245  located at two opposite lateral sides thereof and respectively affixed to the face panel  2 . The first reflective surface  242  and the second reflective surface  244  are adapted to reflect light toward the light-exit surface  243 . 
     Further, the light-emitting devices  12  disposed at the top side relative to the front opening  111  of the main unit  1  are controllable to emit light toward the light diffuser panel  23  in the mounting slot  222  at the top side relative to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 ; the light-emitting devices  12  disposed at the bottom side relative to the front opening  111  of the main unit  1  are controllable to emit light through the light guide plate  24  toward the light diffuser panel  23  in the mounting slot  222  at the bottom side relative to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 . However, this arrangement is simply an example for illustration only, but not intended for use to limit the scope of the claims of the invention. 
     Further, the light diffuser panels  23  and the light guide plate  24  can be formed in the face panel  2  by injection molding. Alternatively, the light diffuser panels  23  and the light guide plate  24  can be separately made, and then affixed to the face panel  2  by screws, adhesive, hook joint, ultrasonic sealing, or any other mounting techniques. Alternatively, the light diffuser panels  23  can be formed in the face panel  2  by injection molding, and the light guide plate  24  can be separately made and then affixed to the face panel  2  by screws, adhesive, hook joint, ultrasonic sealing, or any other mounting techniques. 
     Because the internal space of the main unit  1  is limited and because there are sensors, electronic components and a driving mechanism to be mounted inside the main unit at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the front opening  111  and the bill passage  11 , available installation space is limited. Further, the face panel  2  has a thin wall thickness and does not have any circuit board mounted therein, the amount and installation locations of the light-emitting devices  12  must be properly controlled. If the brightness of the emitted light is insufficient, the instruction and lighting functions of the machine will be diminished. Subject to the function of the light guide plate  24 , the light-emitting devices  12  can be mounted in the main unit  1  at a location far from the front opening  111 , i.e., the use of the light guide plate  24  facilitates spatial arrangement to fit different machines of different designs, models or configurations. Further, under the condition of sufficient installation space, the number of light-emitting devices  12  can be relatively increased to enhance the brightness. Further, different colors of light-emitting devices  12  can be used and controlled to provide different color patterns and/or flashing patterns, attracting consumers and fitting different requirements. 
     Further, the configuration of the front protruding block  21  of the face panel  1  is not a requisite design. Alternatively, the face panel  1  can be made having a flat front wall wherein the bill insertion slot  22  is formed in the flat front wall; the light diffuser panels  23  and the light guide plate  24  are mounted in the flat front wall of the face panel  1  in a flush manner. 
     During application, the light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor has features and advantages as follows: 
     1. When the light-emitting devices  12  at the opposing top and bottom sides relative to the front opening  111  of the main unit  1  are controlled to emit light toward the light diffuser panels  23  directly or through the light guide plate  24 , providing sufficient illumination to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22  in the dark, enabling a user to insert a predetermined valuable document accurately into the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 .
 
2. Subject to the use of the light guide plate  24 , some light-emitting devices  12  can be mounted in the main unit  1  at a certain distance from the front opening  111  of the main unit  1 , enabling the emitted light to be guided by the light guide plate  24  toward the respective light diffuser panel  23  and then diffused by the respective light diffuser panel  23  to illuminate the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 ; further, different colors of light-emitting devices  12  can be used and controlled to provide different color patterns and/or flashing patterns, attracting consumers and fitting different requirements.
 
     In conclusion, the invention provides a light-emitting mounting structure for valuable document acceptor, which comprises a main unit  1  that comprises a bill passage  11 , a front opening  111  obliquely disposed at a front side thereof in communication with the bill passage  11  and a plurality of light-emitting devices  12  mounted therein and respectively arranged at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the front opening  111 , a face panel  2  that is mounted at the front side of the main unit and that comprises a bill insertion slot  22  kept in communication with the front opening  111  and bill passage  11  of the main unit  1  for the insertion of a valuable document and defining a diverging front open side  221 , a plurality of mounting slots  222  respectively disposed at opposing top and bottom sides relative to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22  and a mounting hole  223  disposed below the mounting slots  222  and the bill insertion slot  22 , two light diffuser panels  23  respectively mounted in the mounting slots  222  of the face panel  2 , and at least one light guide plate  24  mounted in the mounting hole  223  of the face panel  2 . Thus, the light-emitting devices  12  can be controlled to emit light toward the light diffuser panels  23  directly or through the light guide plate  24 , providing sufficient illumination to the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22  in the dark, enabling a user to insert a predetermined valuable document accurately into the diverging front open side  221  of the bill insertion slot  22 . Further, different colors of light-emitting devices  12  can be used and controlled, to provide different color patterns and/or flashing patterns, attracting consumers and fitting different requirements. 
     Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.