Patent ID: 8069966

Claim:
A coin sorting device comprising: a body through which at least three parallel and consecutive passages run, the central one of said passages being open at its top and at its bottom and being delimited laterally by two partition walls which each belong to respective adjacent passages provided with outlets leading into lower openings and/or into side openings of the body, each of said partition walls being articulated to the body about an axis parallel and close to the lower edge of said partition wall, said lower edge being adjacent to said central passage bottom, each of said partition walls being able to occupy at least two positions in relation to their respective articulation axes: a rest position where the partition wall keeps parallel to said central passage, while the central passage open top is arranged facing a coin-receiving area; and an operative position, where the partition wall is tilted about the articulation axis to occupy part of the central passage, covering said open top, for receiving and diverting coins through its associated adjacent passage, from said coin-receiving area; at least two controlled actuation devices, one per partition wall, to actuate to rotate each partition wall selectively, about its articulation axis, to move it from said rest position to said operative position, and at least one permanent pushing device for exerting a pushing force on both of the two partition walls, at the same time, which pushes the partition walls away from each other, towards said respective rest positions, for returning the partition walls from said operative positions to said respective rest positions, according to a recovery movement independent from said swinging movement, and maintaining them thereat, upon termination of said actuation of said at least two controlled actuation devices, said permanent pushing device comprising two permanent magnets, each of which is arranged in one of said partition walls, facing each other, such that like poles of the two permanent magnets repel each other, thus generating said pushing force which pushes the partition walls away from each other.