Patent ID: 6899214

Claim:
A coin receiving and dispensing machine comprising a coin receiving and dispensing opening through which coins can be deposited and dispensed, sensor means-provided in a coin passage and adapted for discriminating whether coins are acceptable and denominations of coins and counting the coins of each denomination, a single coin storing box for storing acceptable coins, at least one coin storing means for storing coins to be dispensed, and control means for controlling overall operation of the coin receiving and dispensing machine, the control means being constituted so as to, prior to dispensation of coins, take out coins stored in the coin storing box, cause the sensor means to discriminate denominations of the coins taken out from the coin storing box and count the number of the coins for each denomination, and store a predetermined number of coins in the at least one coin storing means for each denomination based on the discrimination and counting done by the sensor means, the control means being further constituted so as to, when coins are to be dispensed, take out coins stored in the at least one coin storing means, cause the sensor means to discriminate denominations of coins taken out from the at least one coin storing means and count the number of the coins of each denomination, and feed the coins to the coin receiving and dispensing opening based on the discrimination and counting done by the sensor means, the control means furthermore being constituted so as to cause the sensor means to discriminate whether or not coins deposited through the coin receiving and dispensing opening are acceptable and denominations of coins discriminated to be acceptable and count the number of the coins of each denomination, and store the coins deposited through the coin receiving and dispensing opening in the coin storing box.