Source: http://www.google.es/patents/US20060011418
Timestamp: 2018-01-16 08:07:14
Document Index: 446457540

Matched Legal Cases: ['application no. 2', 'art 110', 'art 125', 'art 110', 'art 203', 'art 110']

Patente US20060011418 - Coin hopper with large coin capability - Google Patentes
A coin dispensing apparatus dispenses coins by squeezing them substantially chordally between first and second elements. The second element is carried on the underside of a disc-like portion of a rotor which rotates about or with a central shaft. The disc-like portion has an opening, allowing coins to...http://www.google.es/patents/US20060011418?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatente US20060011418 - Coin hopper with large coin capability
Número de publicación US20060011418 A1
Número de solicitud US 11/157,676
También publicado como CN1722181A, CN100524370C, DE602005026606D1, EP1612744A2, EP1612744A3, EP1612744B1, US7294051
Número de publicación 11157676, 157676, US 2006/0011418 A1, US 2006/011418 A1, US 20060011418 A1, US 20060011418A1, US 2006011418 A1, US 2006011418A1, US-A1-20060011418, US-A1-2006011418, US2006/0011418A1, US2006/011418A1, US20060011418 A1, US20060011418A1, US2006011418 A1, US2006011418A1
Inventores Malcolm Bell
Cesionario original Bell Malcolm R H
Citas de patentes (8), Clasificaciones (5), Eventos legales (6)
US 20060011418 A1
A coin dispensing apparatus dispenses coins by squeezing them substantially chordally between first and second elements. The second element is carried on the underside of a disc-like portion of a rotor which rotates about or with a central shaft. The disc-like portion has an opening, allowing coins to move axially therethrough from a supply side to a position aligned with the second element. The opening has a diameter substantially equal to or greater than the radius of the rotor.
1. A coin dispensing apparatus which dispenses coins by squeezing them substantially chordally between first and second elements, comprising a rotor which rotates with or about central shaft means and comprises:
a disc-like portion carrying said second element on its underside and an opening, allowing coins to move axially therethrough from a supply side to a position aligned with said second element, the opening having a diameter substantially equal to or greater than the radius of the rotor, and
a locating portion received in a recess,
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first element is a projection from the top of the annular member.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the annular member is resiliently mounted for restricted circumferential movement.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening breaks the circumference of the disc-like portion.
5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first element is a projection from the top of the annular member, the annular member is resiliently mounted for restricted circumferential movement and the locating portion extends partially across said opening such that locating portion is spaced axially from the underside of the disc-like portion.
6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the opening breaks the circumference of the disc-like portion.
7. A coin dispensing apparatus including:
an annular member on said surface and having a hole;
a first ejector element;
a disc-like portion carrying a second ejector element on its underside and an opening, allowing coins to move axially therethrough from a supply side to a position aligned with said second ejector element, the opening having a diameter substantially equal to or greater than the radius of the rotor, and
a locating portion received in said hole in the annular member;
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first ejector element is a projection from the top of the annular member.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the annular member is resiliently mounted for restricted circumferential movement.
10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the opening breaks the circumference of the disc-like portion.
11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first ejector element is a projection from the top of the annular member, the annular member is resiliently mounted for restricted circumferential movement and the locating portion extends partially across said opening such that locating portion is spaced axially from the underside of the disc-like portion.
12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the opening breaks the circumference of the disc-like portion.
13. A large coin adaptation kit for adapting a coin dispensing apparatus which dispenses relatively small coins by squeezing them substantially chordally between first and second elements, the second element being carried on the underside of a disc-like portion of a rotor which rotates with or about central shaft means, wherein the rotor is mounted in a hollow and the disc-like portion has an opening, allowing said relatively small coins to move axially therethrough from a supply side to a position aligned with the second element, the kit including:
a spacer for placement in said hollow to create a recess through which the rotor's axis of rotation extends; and
a replacement rotor having a locating portion configured to be received in said recess and an opening, allowing relatively large coins to move axially therethrough, having a diameter substantially equal to or greater than the radius of the replacement rotor.
14. A kit according to claims 13, wherein the opening breaks the circumference of the disc-like portion.
15. A kit according to claim 13, wherein the spacer has a projection to provide a replacement first element for large coins.
16. A kit according to claim 15, wherein the spacer includes means for coupling it to the small coin first element of the apparatus being adapted.
17. A kit according to claim 13, wherein the locating portion extends partially across said opening such that locating portion is spaced axially from the underside of the disc-like portion.
18. A kit according to claim 13, wherein the spacer has a projection to provide a replacement first element for large coins, the spacer includes means for coupling it to the small coin first element of the apparatus being adapted and the locating portion extends partially across said opening such that locating portion is spaced axially from the underside of the disc-like portion.
19. A kit according to claim 13, including means for providing a wider coin exit path, in which a coin being dispensed moves edgeways, to said apparatus.
The present invention relates to a coin, or the like, dispensing apparatus.
The Compact Hopper™ made by Money Controls Limited of New Coin Street, Royton, Oldham, UK is well-known to those skilled in the art. The Compact Hopper™ dispenses coins using a rotor and a pair of sprung fingers. The rotor has a plurality of apertures in which coins collect and as the rotor rotates, coins are dispensed from the bottoms of the apertures by the action of the sprung fingers. Rotors with different sized apertures are used for dispensing different sized coins.
In the Compact Hopper™, the rotor rotates on a central shaft. Consequently, coins having diameters greater than the radius of the rotor could not be dispensed.
United Kingdom patent application no. 2,369,229 discloses a coin dispensing apparatus which can dispense coin having diameters greater than the radius of the rotor. This is achieve by connecting the rotor to a foot by a offset connecting element like a crank and connecting the foot to a drive shaft. A problem with this apparatus is that it requires major modification of the rotor bed, making it unsuitable for retrofitting.
According to a first aspect of the the present invention, there is provided a coin dispensing apparatus which dispenses coins by squeezing them substantially chordally between first and second elements, comprising a rotor which rotates with or about central shaft means and comprises:
The first ejector element may be a projection from the top of the annular member.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin dispensing apparatus not according to the present invention;
The front face 1 e of the body slopes save for a short vertical portion 1 f at the very front. A rotor 203 is rotatably located in a rotor seat 4 in the sloping front face 1 e of the body 1. A motor and transmission (not shown) are mounted behind the rotor seat 4. The rotor seat 4 may be removable as a unit with the motor and transmission. The rotor seat 4 in this example is approximately 85 mm square. However, the generally preferred range is 50-120 mm square.
The hopper 2 is conventional and is open at the top with sides that extend upwards from the tops of the sides of the body 1. The underside of the hopper 1 conforms generally to the front face 1 e of the body 1 and has hole opening onto the rotor 3. A hopper having a wider upper part may be used to increase the capacity of the apparatus.
A pair of sprung fingers 107 a, 107 b, project through the floor of the hollow 5 radially in from the lower edge of the passage 116 b.
A boss 109, on the end of a rotor-driving shaft (not show) projects through the floor of the hollow 5. A male coupling part 110 is formed on the boss 109 for connecting to rotors.
Referring to FIG. 4, a rotor 103 for small coins comprises a disc 103 a with a central recess 103 b and four through holes 103 c array equidistantly around the central recess 103 b. A female coupling part 125 is formed in the bottom of the recess 103 b and is configured to receive the male coupling part 110 releasably so that the rotor 103 can be driven by the rotor driving shaft.
The underside of the rotor 103 is cut away except for a central portion 103 e and four projections 103 f between respective pairs of through holes 103 c.
The projections 103 f and the sprung fingers 107 a, 107 b co-operated to eject coins fed through the through holes 103 c in the conventional manner when the rotor 103 is being rotated.
The coin dispensing apparatus can be converted to dispense large coins by replacing the rotor and the coin output guide and adding an annular spacer.
Referring to FIG. 5, a coin output guide 216 for large coins comprises a block 216 a with a slot 216 b corresponding to the width of the opening 6. A ridge 216 c projects from above the slot 216 b and defines the roof of an extension of the slot 216 b into the rotor seat 4. The slot 216 b is somewhat higher in the block 216 than the passage 116 b in the small coin block 116.
Since the sprung fingers 107 a, 107 b are not in the correct position for large coins, a device is provides to produce a corresponding effect at the appropriate position.
Referring to FIG. 7, a large coin rotor 203 comprises a cylindrical locating portion 203 a, a crescent portion 203 b and a connecting portion (not shown) connecting the locating portion 103 a to the crescent portion 203 b. The locating portion 203 a has the same thickness as the spacer 250, around the spacer's central hole, and a female coupling part 203 b for connecting to the male coupling part 110 on the boss 109.
US4881919 * 14 Mar 1988 21 Nov 1989 Ardac, Inc. Bulk coin hopper
US5607352 * 16 Abr 1996 4 Mar 1997 Asahi Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha Coin dispensing apparatus
US6540602 * 20 Feb 2001 1 Abr 2003 De La Rue Cash Systems, Inc. Coin dispenser
US6848988 * 25 Abr 2003 1 Feb 2005 Asahi Seiko Co., Ltd. Small coin hopper
Clasificación de EE.UU. 186/61
Clasificación internacional G07D9/00, A63F9/02
Owner name: MONEY CONTROLS LIMITED, GREAT BRITAIN
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:MALCOLM REGINALD HALLAS BELL;REEL/FRAME:017009/0346